John Carter: Early Test Animation and Scripts!

Yesterday I mention there maybe is one or two people who read this blog and earlier today one of them provides something cool.

Reader Mike Smith posted this link http://www.examiner.com/x-19638-SciFi-Movie-Examiner~y2010m4d22-Preview-John-Carter-of-Mars that includes test footage of a Thark by animator Steve Meyer. Even though the article doesn't mention it, the footage was done for director Kerry Conran in 2005 when Paramount was producing. Mr. Meyer though is listed in the credits for the current John Carter of Mars as part of research and development. You can see the footage there or at http://www.stevemeyeranimation.com/animation.html (The clip there though has it as part of a demo reel with some commercial work and footage from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.)

The other cool find of the day I was saving for a rainy day. Well its raining. The site My PDF Scripts has posted three scripts for the previous unmade John Carter movies. The first two are from Disney's early attempts to make a movie. The first is by writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (best known for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) and is dated March 12, 1990 http://www.mypdfscripts.com/unproduced/a-princess-of-mars-rossio-elliott-draft. I haven't finished it but it so far seems close to the novel. It also has the title The Chronicles of John Carter: Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Princess of Mars. The second script is by Bob Gale (of Back to the Future fame) and is dated January 1991 and seems to be a rewrite of the Elliot-Rossio draft. This one has a comedic edge to it that might turn off some fans though http://www.mypdfscripts.com/unproduced/a-princess-of-mars-bob-gale-draft.

The final script is by writer Ehren Kruger (best known for The Ring and Arlington Road) and is dated Sept. 7, 2005 http://www.mypdfscripts.com/unproduced/john-carter-of-mars. This one will be interesting for those who have seen the Asylum version as it has many similarities. (Also of note-the site also has Leigh Brackett's first draft script for The Empire Strikes Back http://www.mypdfscripts.com/screenplays/star-wars-episode-v-–-the-empire-strikes-back-leigh-brackett-draft It is radically different from the final film and is an interesting read for Star Wars and Brackett fans.)