Disney Loses JOHN CARTER Rights, But More Movies Will Come
It's not surprising that Disney let the rights to Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic sci-fi fantasy series John Carter of Mars lapse and revert back to the original owners, Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. After all, the movie was a huge box office failure that reportedly resulted in a $200 million loss for the studio. That's a lot of freakin' money. It's really sad that this is how things turned out because the movie was actually really fun and well made. I would have loved to see the franchise continue, and now that it is back into the hands of the rightful owners, it looks like we might!
The company is planning to and bring the character back to the big screen. The president of Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc., James Sullos, said in a statement,
"We will be seeking a new partner to help develop new adventures on film as chronicled in the eleven Mars novels Burroughs wrote. This adventure never stops. Along with a new Tarzan film in development by Warner Bros., we hope to have John Carter Of Mars become another major franchise to entertain world-wide audiences of all ages.”
I really hope that they can actually pull this off, but with the massive blow that Disney suffered with the property what other studio is going to take it on? I hate to say it, but that's a huge risk in the eyes of Hollywood investors and accountants. I really do hope that someone gives it a second chance though. This is such a great story with a badass character, and it deserves to be fully realized.
If it ever happens, this is just in the beginning stages, and we've got a hell of a long way to go.