Formerly titled John Carter of Mars, Andrew Stanton’s live action debut will now be released under the shorter title, John Carter, Walt Disney Pictures has confirmed.
Starring Taylor Kitsch as the titular lead, the film is based on Edgar Rice Burrough’s science fiction series which sees Civil War veteran John Carter transported to the world of Barsoom (the Martian word for their own planet) where he becomes caught up between the different races of warriors who inhabit the red desert.
The title John Carter of Mars is actually that of the final book in the series. The first, which is said to the primary basis for the film, was published under the name A Princess of Mars (and originally serialized as Under the Moons of Mars).
Also starring Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston, Thomas Hayden Church and Willem Dafoe, John Carter is planned for release on March 9, 2012.
