Favreau goes to 'Mars'

Work on Burroughs' sci-fi epic 'John Carter of Mars' continues with Jon Favreau in the director chair

Oct  6 2005

Paramount has snapped up Jon Favreau to take the directing reins from Kerry 'Sky Captain' Conran on the epic adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' sci-fi series 'John Carter of Mars'.

Burroughs wrote 11 volumes of American Civil War veteran John Carter's exploits who finds himself mysteriously transported to the planet of Barsoom where 12-foot-tall green meanies take him prisoner.

Conran has left the production to work on other projects while Favreau has just recently finished work on intergalactic adventure 'Zathura' for Sony, which is due out in the UK next February.

'Jon Favreau is just an incredibly exciting choice,' says Ain't It Cool News' Harry Knowles who is co-producing on 'John Carter of Mars'.

'Jon has an absolute passion not just for the material, but all the great toys that must be employed in making this epic a reality.'

It would also appear that Favreau's first job will be to bring in a new screenwriter to knock the script into shape after Ehren Kruger's ('Scream 3') effort fell below expectations.

The only matter left to decide after that is who to play John Carter himself... Clive Owen? Hugh Jackman? Julian McMahon? Wait, that's Bond isn't it?