You may be wondering why Marvel is releasing a comic book mini-series based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Mars series of novels. Well, it’s not that hard to figure out.

Disney has a big movie coming out soon based on the novels and Disney also owns Marvel. So, they want to build awareness and publicize the movie as much as possible.

See, it all makes sense now. However, to Marvel’s credit, this isn’t just a simple comic tie-in with the movie. It’s actually an original story.

Here’s the scoop:

From the creative team of Sam Humphries & Ramon Perez, the heroic John Carter makes his return to Barsoom not to save it from Martian beasts . . . but Martian GODS! This new series, in collaboration with the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate, is an all-new graphic fiction adaptation of the legendary John Carter novels AND considered part of the official canon set by Burroughs.

As our hero finds himself in the land of the dead, all hope looks lost. But nothing will stop John Carter from saving Mars from the terror of those looking to destroy it.

Check out the preview pages after the break. Look for John Carter: The Gods of Mars #1 (of 5) to hit store shelves on March 21.

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I’m not sure what it is about movie marketing these days. For some reason, studios seems determined to hide elements of a film when putting together trailers and other marketing materials.

It’s almost as if they’re afraid to reveal anything for fear of alienating some segment (or all) of a film’s potential audience. In truth, that’s probably pretty close to the reality.

Such is the case with Disney’s upcoming film John Carter. It’s painfully obvious from the trailers released so far that Disney marketing has no idea how to sell this film. In fact, I’d wager the first trailers have done little to entice potential viewers into the theaters.

Personally, I’ve found them to be dull, uninspired and tending to focus on elements making this film pretty much look like every other Disney film released in the last ten years. Fortunetely, for those of us who are fans of the books and want this movie to succeede, others have stepped up to help.

Enter YouTube user John Carter Files. They’ve taken it upon themselves to make a trailer for the film and after watching it I’m sure you will agree it’s so much better than any of the “official” ones Disney should give these guys a job immedietly and leave them alone to do their work.

Check it out after the break. Look for John Carter to hit theaters on March 9.

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We’ve had some tidbits from this film already including some stills and a poster and the first trailer. Now, Disney has released a new trailer for John Carter, the science-fiction epic based on the series of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

In case you’ve forgotten (or never knew in the first place) here’s a synopsis of the film:

“John Carter tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom (Mars) and its people rests in his hands.”

Well, does the trailer live up to the hype and your expectations? Check it out after the jump. Disney’s John Carter arrives in theaters on March 9.

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I first read Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars when I was a very young man. After reading it, I devoured the entire series of books in a matter of weeks. They were just that good.

I’ve always thought the books would make great movies and now that thought has been turned to reality by Disney with its upcoming big screen adaptation of the series: John Carter. The film, which is directed by Andrew Stanton, features what looks to be a good cast including Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins and William Dafoe.

The trailer was released on Apple’s iTunes this morning and we’ve got it for you today. In case you’re not familiar with the story, here’s a bit of the official synopsis to get you in the mood:

“The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom (Mars) and its people rests in his hands.”

Check out the trailer after the break. John Carter arrives in theaters on March 9, 2012.

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According to Variety, Willem Dafoe has joined the cast of Disney’s John Carter of Mars, which already includes Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins. In the film, which is being directed by Wall-E helmer Andrew Stanton, Dafoe will play Tars Tarkas, a fierce green Martian warrior, who’s unusual among his savage race for his ability to feel compassion and empathy.

In the film, which is based on the first of Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars novels A Princess of Mars, Tars develops an alliance with John Carter after Carter, a Civil War veteran, is miraculously transported, via astral projection, to Mars. Once there, Carter meets Martian princess Dejah Thoris, wins her hand, rediscovers his own humanity after the ravages of war, teams up with Tars Tarkas and eventually becomes Warlord of Mars.

And did I mention that Tars Tarkas is also about eight or ten feet tall with four arms and green skin? At least he’s that way in the book. Fortunately, this isn’t the first time Dafoe has been green in a film, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble for him. The real question is how will he play someone with four arms who’s that tall? Of course, he’s a very good actor, so I’ll bet he can pull it off — with a little help from some movie magic.

According to The Hollywood Reporter Disney has found its two leads for writer/director Andrew Stanton’s upcoming John Carter of Mars. Taylor Kitsch, last seen as Gambit on X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Lynn Collins, also last seen in the same film playing Wolverine’s love interest, have signed on to play the title character John Carter and Dejah Thoris receptively.

In case you’re not familiar with the story, the film is adapted from the Edgar Rice Burroughs series of novels and centers around John Carter, a Civil War veteran who is miraculously transported, via astral projection, to Mars. Once there, he meets Martian princess Dejah Thoris, wins her hand, rediscovers his own humanity after the ravages of war and eventually becomes Warlord of Mars. Along the way he also manages to get in quite a few sword fights and battles.

This movie is a big deal for all involved. It marks Stanton’s first live-action film after directing Disney’s Finding Nemo and Wall-E and its great for Kitsch and Collins, who will need to carry this one on their shoulders. And as a fan of the books growing up, I’ve always visualized what this movie might look like.

In truth, I’m not 100% sure on the casting choices but I think Stanton has the vision to pull off something very interesting. Still, Stanton reportedly was considring both Josh Duhamel and Jon Hamm for the role of John Carter and in my mind, it might of made more sense to go with someone like Hamm. Oh well, no matter what happens, we’ll find out soon enough as the film begins shooting later this year for a release in 2012.