John Carter Returns: New Animated Series Warlord of Mars in the Works
The 2012 Disney film adaptation was a massive flop
After years of uncertainty, it's now official: Edgar Rice Burroughs' legendary "John Carter" series is getting a new lease on life. As reported by The Wrap, an animated series titled "John Carter: Warlord of Mars" is in the works.
Mark Andrews, best known as the co-director of the Oscar-winning Pixar film "Brave", has been brought on board for the new project. He also worked as a storyboard artist on Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man". He is being supported by Michael Kogge, who has already been involved in several "Star Wars" comic book projects.
In an official statement, Andrews made it clear that the character John Carter has been a part of his life since childhood. According to him, he discovered the stories at the age of ten and has been deeply influenced by Burroughs' blend of fantasy and science fiction ever since.
Andrews is particularly convinced that animation is the ideal medium for bringing the source material to life. Modern technologies now make it possible to achieve precisely the visual grandeur and intensity that Burroughs' world requires. The fantastical landscapes of Mars, its exotic creatures, and the epic battles can be depicted much more freely and impressively through animation than in a traditional live-action film.
As early as 2012, John Carter was adapted into a live-action film. At the box office, however, "John Carter" fell well short of expectations, grossing a modest $284 million. A release date or more specific details about the new series have not yet been announced.
The World of John Carter: What the Novels Are About and Why the Series Still Has Cult Status Today
The "John Carter" novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs are among the most influential adventure and science fiction stories in literary history. Although many people know the series primarily from the 2012 Disney film adaptation, its history stretches back well over a century. The first novel was published as early as 1912 under the title "A Princess of Mars" and established the so-called Barsoom Cycle, which comprises a total of eleven novels. The books blend science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and romance into an epic narrative that has inspired generations of authors, filmmakers, and comic book creators.
What are the John Carter novels about?
At the center of the story is John Carter, a former officer from the American Civil War. After a mysterious event, he is transported from Earth to the planet Mars, which is called Barsoom in the series. There, Carter discovers a completely alien world inhabited by various peoples, warrior cultures, gigantic creatures, and ancient civilizations.
Due to Mars's lower gravity, John Carter possesses extraordinary physical abilities. He can make huge leaps and has tremendous strength, which quickly makes him an impressive fighter. He soon becomes embroiled in the political and military conflicts between the various Martian peoples and meets Princess Dejah Thoris, with whom he falls in love.
From this point on, the series evolves into a blend of heroic epic, love story, and large-scale science fiction adventure. John Carter battles tyrannical rulers, saves kingdoms, forges alliances with alien species, and explores the mysterious landscapes of the Red Planet.
A World Full of Fantasy
What makes the novels so special is, above all, their extraordinary world-building. With Barsoom, Burroughs created one of the earliest and most detailed fictional planets in literature. Mars is not a barren desert planet, but a complex world with diverse nations, religions, technologies, and social structures.
Particularly well-known are the so-called Green Martians – warrior beings several meters tall with four arms who live in nomadic tribes. In addition, there are the Red Martians, various animal species, flying ships, and highly advanced yet mysterious technologies. This blend of futuristic elements and classic fantasy motifs gives the series its unmistakable character.
Why the Series Is So Special
A key reason for its enduring cult status lies in its enormous influence on later works. Many motifs that are taken for granted today appeared in Burroughs's work decades earlier. Heroes who become legendary warriors on alien worlds, exotic planets with their own cultures, or romantic adventures set against science-fiction backdrops – all of this can already be found in the John Carter novels.
Authors such as Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, and numerous comic book and fantasy creators have cited Burroughs as an inspiration. Even elements from "Star Wars", "Flash Gordon", "Avatar", and various superhero stories are reminiscent of the Barsoom Cycle in their basic concepts.
Adventure Over Science
Unlike many modern science fiction novels, John Carter focuses less on scientific plausibility and more on a sense of boundless adventure. Burroughs did not write technically accurate visions of the future, but rather stories full of pace, exotic settings, spectacular battles, and charismatic characters.
It is precisely this blend that makes the series fascinating to this day. The novels convey the feeling of entering an unknown world alongside their hero, where a new mystery awaits behind every ruin, every desert, and every city.
More than a hundred years after their publication, the John Carter books have therefore lost none of their significance. They rank among the great classics of adventure and science fiction literature and impressively demonstrate how powerfully an imaginative world can shape entire generations of stories.