NetherWords

Teaser poster for Disney's "John Carter" (2012)

While I’d planned on recording and producing Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars for awhile now, it’s no coincidence that I’ve timed it to coincide with the recent publicity of the upcoming movie John Carter, being distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

I find myself with mixed feelings about the movie after seeing the trailer (viewable below).  While it certainly looks like they’ve remained very faithful to the source material, the designs of the green men of Mars are not quite how they’re described in the books—now arguable looking more human, especially in the face. Also, Mars looks a lot like Utah.

Having said that, I can’t help but notice that there are also very recognizable scenes depicted in this trailer; indeed ones in which I’ve already narrated in the NetherWords episodes I’ve released so far: the yellow moss-like vegetation surrounding John Carter on his advent on Mars, the incredible leaps he makes in front of the green men, and even the sad tidings of John Carter’s apparent death in the Foreword of the book (both links go to the applicable podcasts that I’ve recorded).

The cast looks fairly impressive, and I’m thrilled that Michael Giacchino (Star Trek (2009), The Incredibles) will be scoring the film.  Here are some cast highlights, at least as far as the characters to which we’ve so-far encountered in the podcast:

• Taylor Kitsch (John Carter)
• Willem Dafoe (Tars Tarkas)
• Samantha Morton (Sola)
• Daryl Sabara (A fictional version of Edgar Rice Burroughs)

So anyway, I’m hoping that by releasing this particular story at this particular time, that I will not only increase my subscriber base, but also give the listener a tour of the original source material that is (hopefully) being followed in this upcoming film. Take a look at the trailer, and judge for yourself!