Disney•Pixar Seeks "John Carter of Mars"

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Disney•Pixar is after the film rights to Edgar Rice Burroughs' series, "John Carter of Mars:"

Paramount Pictures nabbed the rights to the series in 2002 with Jim Jacks and Sean Daniel as producers. The project was a revolving door for directors: Robert Rodriguez was going to do it before he resigned from the DGA over "Sin City," Kerry Conrad made a notable presentation when he was eyeing it as his follow-up to "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," and Jon Favreau was attached before going off to do "Iron Man."

Sources said Paramount let go of "Mars" about a year ago, and it was without a home until about a month ago, when Pixar, under John Lasseter's direction, came calling out of the blue.

A representative of the Burroughs estate said the studio was acquiring the live-action rights for a possible tentpole franchise. However, sources at Disney believed "Mars" to be headed for animated adaptation.

I enjoyed Sky Captain and thought that Conrad could bring some unique ideas to the film. Rodriguez would no doubt make it an action-packed wonder, and Favreau's Zathura showed some promise that he could handle "John Carter" with an eye for family fun. But Disney seems a good fit for the series.

I'm not sure this series would go to Pixar, but rather the Disney Feature Animation unit. It seems that with Burroughs' Tarzan already made into a successful film at the studio, and "John Carter of Mars" possessing mythic and fantasy-like plots, it would be a nice fit. Disney has also had experience in the animated action-adventure genre recently with Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Treasure Planet, both of which I liked a lot, even though some critics didn't. By making a "John Carter of Mars" series at Disney, they would have not only a big-budget tentpole film, but a series of material to draw from for potential sequels.

If this comes to pass, they'll certainly have the right people in charge.

Update: Several others have been involved in the projet including Jeffrey Katzenberg, John McTiernan, and Aint It Cool News' Harry Knowles. Devin at CHUD talked with producer Don Murphy who mentioned that he thinks Disney wants it for Pixar's Andrew Stanton to direct as a live-action feature. Interesting news indeed. Like many things in Hollywood, the saga is becoming more a story than the story itself!

Art: Mark Schultz from the book "Mark Schultz Various Drawings Volume 2" by Flesk Publications. A larger version of the above art can be found at this link.