The critically acclaimed director Andrew Stanton, best known for the Pixar masterpieces “WALL-E” and “Finding Nemo,” launched a new movie this year called “In the Blink of an Eye,” which got bad reviews.
Despite being renowned for his work at Pixar, Stanton made his live-action debut in 2012 with “John Carter,” which went on to become one of the worst box office failures in film history.
It got equally negative reviews from critics, and Disney allegedly lost about $200 million on the first movie, leading to the cancellation of a scheduled series of “John Carter” sequels.
Stanton, who will be back in cinemas in summertime with Pixar’s “Toy Story 5,” was questioned by THR over John Carter’s recent reevaluation, which Stanton claims he was unaware was taking place.
He related a tale about how he is frequently approached on set by individuals who compliment him on John Carter, “This always happens at least once on every set. We’ll be about to roll, and a grip will whisper to me, ‘John Carter.’ And I always say to them, ‘You don’t have to whisper anymore. ’ I firmly believe there was always that audience. We just didn’t understand that, and we didn’t cater to them [in whatever way]; it got overlooked. But it’s nice to know there was an audience for it, and that it’s founded. The nice thing about finishing a piece of creative work – whether it’s a book or an album or a movie – is that it’s there for people to find for the rest of time. Unless it’s banned, it can’t be stopped.”
A disgruntled American Civil War soldier who is inexplicably sent to Mars is the subject of “John Carter.” He develops extraordinary power and maneuverability in Martian civilizations. He teams up with a Martian princess and other friends while attempting to discover a route back to Earth to thwart a formidable foe endangering the world.
