This news that Disney has already begun work on a sequel to John Carter is only interesting in relation to another story coming from Deadline. The site revealed an early tracking report which shows that...well, the film may be one really expensive turd, with one exec saying that women of all ages have "flat out rejected" it. For a movie that cost well over $200M, that's obviously not a good sign, so you'd getting the band back together for a follow-up would be premature.
Producer Jim Morris revealed to ComingSoon that director Andrew Stanton and writer Michael Chabon were already in the planning stages for the sequel, titled John Carter: The Gods of Mars. Sounds like it'll be pulled entirely from the plot of Edgar Rice Burroughs second novel in the Barsoom series. The book takes place ten years after the events of the first, and sees the war weary titular hero fighting more battles on Mars.
After looking rather flat and dull, Disney has won me over with their recent marketing push for the film, which has emphasized action and the fantastic creature design. That said, I've also noticed a whiff of desperation to it all, as there seems to be a new piece of footage every single day, or a flood of images. It's all to help improve the film's awareness level, which as Deadline noted is tracking incredibly low right now. Bear in mind that these tracking reports don't mean squat, and other movies with similar or worse numbers have gone on to great success. Disney, in particular, has had a number of them that have proven to be quite lucrative. Anybody remember Tron: Legacy?
