Full press release below…
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. has announced that the movie, television and merchandise rights for ‘John Carter’ have reverted back to the company. Walt Disney Pictures held the rights and produced the movie ‘John Carter’ in 2012. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. will be seeking a new studio to continue this seminal sci-fi adventure.
“John Carter of Mars was the creative stimulus behind such movie classics as Superman, Star Wars and Avatar,” said James Sullos, President of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. “Edgar Rice Burroughs was the Master of Adventure and his literary works continue to enjoy a world-wide following.”
Sullos added, “We will be seeking a new partner to help develop new adventures on film as chronicled in the eleven Mars novels Burroughs wrote. This adventure never stops. Along with a new ‘Tarzan’ film in development by Warner Bros., we hope to have ‘John Carter Of Mars’ become another major franchise to entertain world-wide audiences of all ages.”
Directed by Andrew Stanton, the 2012 film starred Taylor Kitsch as the titular hero, a war-weary, former military captain who is inexplicably transported to Mars and reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict. It’s a world on the brink of collapse, and Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands. Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds, Dominic West also starred.