Pixar bigwig Andrew Stanton recently confirmed that he is writing the film version of John Carter of Mars (the other major Edgar Rice Burroughs series) for the company. Stanton has written the screenplays for six other Pixar pics, including Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and the forthcoming WALL-E. He has also directed, produced, and acted in several Pixar films.
The eleven- (or so) book series—set on Burroughs’s alternative Mars, known as Barsoom—debuted in 1912 with the serialization of A Princess of Mars. In the books, John Carter, a captain in the Confederate Army, finds himself mysteriously on Barsoom, adventuring, fighting, and loving. This series actually debuted before Burroughs’s Tarzan. Mars first appeared in February of 1912; Tarzan in October of the same year. Both had their first appearances as serials in All-Story Magazine.