John Carter of Mars Roaring along
Science fiction and fantasy fans remain excited about the prospect of seeing several John Carter of Mars movies starting in 2012. The first film in a project trilogy based on the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs is scheduled to be rolled out to theaters on the 100th anniversary of the publication of “Under the Moons of Mars”, the very first story that featured the immortal Virginian soldier and his beloved princess, Dejah Thoris.
Funded by Disney Studios and produced by Pixar Animation, “John Carter of Mars” is a live-action film helmed by Pixar veteran producer Andrew Stanton, who has called upon Michael Chabon to bring the script into finished format. Filming should get underway in Utah with a cast led by Taylor Kitsch (John Carter) and Lynn Collins (Dejah Thoris). Much speculation has been published about the three-film project, including the idea that the first movie may move some characters from the second and third books into the first installment (perhaps in a move to capitalize on fan interest in the characters and their storylines).
Although some changes to the basic storyline are expected, it appears that Disney and Pixar are committed to being faithful to some of ERB’s original concepts, including the four-armed green men of Mars. Willem Dafoe has been contracted to play Tars Tarkas, who becomes Carter’s best friend and close ally in the various wars that Carter’s arrival on Mars ultimately leads to. The film franchise — if it remains at all loyal to the original books — may feature nudity (both male and female), extreme violence (lots of swordfights, animals mauling people, plants eating people), gore (dead bodies all over the place), and intense warfare (huge fleets of airships battling each other across the Martian skies).
Burroughs was not afraid to look at sensitive and controversial topics in his books. Some of his female characters have to fight off attempted rapists; there are several assassinations; kidnappings and slavery are quite common; and unethical science is practiced on a massive scale (by the villains and near-villains who lose sight of acceptable social boundaries). If any of these topics are included in the movies, they might be handled in tasteful ways but these films could also herald a maturing of the themes that Disney and Pixar are willing to explore.
In fact, in “The Incredibles” several superheroes are slain by the main villain and a number of the villain’s henchmen appear to die nasty deaths at the hands of the heroes. There are explosions, gun battles, and “real world” struggles with ethics and morality. So it’s not that far a stretch of the imagination to assume that John Carter of Mars may be faithful to many of ERB’s more mature themes. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens in the movies.
