The John Carter of Mars Film That Never Was

John Carter was a box-office bomb. It was so… uninspired. We could have gotten a much better film. This six-minute concept reel shows off a bunch of art, effects tests and even some fight scenes from the version that was in development before eventual director Andrew Stanton got a hold of it. At one time, Kerry Conran (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) was attached to direct the film for Paramount. From what we can see, this version looks like it would have been more faithful to Edgar Rice Burrough’s work. For one thing, it was actually called John Carter of Mars. That’s a good start.

This sizzle reel is a window into a much more visually stunning film. Sadly, it will likely never get another shot at becoming a real movie. Then again, the way Hollywood likes to recycle ideas… Maybe we will see it one day.