More people know about the film’s failures than the film itself. The idea that Andrew Stanton’s potential franchise-starter would fail seemed implausible to everyone. Stanton’s long-awaited picture premiered on March 9, 2012, with a lackluster box office and scathing reviews. If the studio hadn’t compared it to an estimated $300 million production budget, the film would have been hailed a triumph. It was all over for the dream of launching a new sci-fi series. People who saw the film and appreciated it were baffled as to why it didn’t do as well as it did at the box office. In the eyes of those who didn’t care, this was just another Hollywood money-grab gone wrong.
Here’s a brief synopsis for those who haven’t seen or need a refresher on the first film’s storyline: During the Civil War, Confederate Army commander John Carter (played by Taylor Kitsch) discovers an extraterrestrial medallion while fleeing Union forces and mistakenly sends himself to Mars. When Carter reaches Mars, he discovers that his high bone density and the planet’s low gravity have given him extraordinary physical capabilities (dubbed Barsoom by its residents). Tars Tarkas, the leader of the Green Martians known as Tharks, confronts the utterly lost human soldier (Willem Dafoe). Red Martian princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) finds herself caught in the middle of social upheaval that Carter is unaware of. Even more, complications arise when the shape-shifting Therns, led by Matai Shang (Mark Strong), enter the picture. In the second film, Carter returns to Mars after faking his own death, deceiving Shang, and winning an old challenge that had kept him confined to Earth in the first.
John Carter director Andrew Stanton hinted at the possibility of a sequel several times in the months leading up to its 2012 release. However, he did not specify what those plans were or what the sequels would involve. Until now, that is.
It’s a one-time deal There were so many unknowns about John Carter that it was impossible to predict when the film was greenlit that it didn’t even make it into the final cut. That failed marketing campaign was one of the biggest barriers the project couldn’t get through. “Of Mars” was dropped from the title during production by Disney’s new movie marketing chief, MT Carney Stanton wasn’t on board, but he didn’t voice any concerns either way. Stanton told TheWrap, “It wasn’t my decision.” “I didn’t object to it because it had been advised to me.” However, at the time the sequel seemed more and more implausible. The advertising was very complicated and difficult to understand.
Only a few months after the launch of the project in July 2011, teasers and posters appeared online, but none of them mentioned Stanton or Burroughs or the other notable authors involved. Eight years earlier, Stanton had directed Pixar’s Finding Nemo, and Burroughs had created Tarzan, but none of that information was used in the marketing of the film. Walt Disney executives convinced Stanton to try his hand at live-action filmmaking because of his long history of success as a director. Unfortunately, the promotion didn’t reflect their confidence in him. In the end, a sequel to John Carter was practically impossible to produce due to the film’s poor marketing.
Stanton was a natural fit for the role, but a confusing marketing strategy and the limitations of an animation director’s first foray into live-action led to the project’s collapse.
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