Andrew Stanton talks John Carter Of Mars

With the long slog of production and promotion for Wall-E behind him now, Andrew Stanton has thrown himself exclusively into work on his next project, John Carter Of Mars.

The adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 sci-fi tale – which sees a US Civil War soldier transported to Mars - sounds like it’s shaping up to be every bit as ambitious as something from the brain of, say James Cameron. ““There’s so much in it that can’t be real,” he tells MTV. “It’s the perfect definition of a hybrid movie,” utilizing both live actors and computer-based animation.”

And while it has been developing for ages, Stanton and his team are now fully into pre-production. ““It’s real,” Stanton assured us. “We’re full bore on it right now. We’re over the hump of the writing phase, and we’re certainly far from rewrites.”

Not a Pixar pic

And don’t expect this to be a Pixar production. Stanton, talking to Sci-Fi.com, says that Disney will be behind this one. “It's being done by Disney, and I'm sort of being loaned out. We're sort of using any element that we need to to make the film right. We're not being purist with Pixar, but Pixar's a brand that you have to trust that's for all ages. This story of John Carter is not going to be an all-ages film.”

And just who will be snapping up the lead? Stanton has yet to find his man, and he all but shot down one possible leading contender: “I know everybody wanted Hugh Jackman forever. But he’s only getting older and more exposed now, so it’s a tough call. I’m your typical filmmaker, I want to find the next best unknown.”

[Source: MTV / Sci-Fi Wire ]

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