The John Carter franchise was cut short, but the released details surrounding the canceled sequels revealed that the franchise could have been great if they happened. Released in 2012, John Carter was an action-adventure based on the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, following the titular John Carter, a Civil War veteran, as he found himself on Barsoom or Mars. During his time on Barsoom, the Tharks, nine-foot tall green Martians, found and imprisoned him. Eventually, John met Princess Dejah, and they agreed to work together to find the solution to their obstacles.
Unfortunately, John Carter flopped at the box office, which caused an end to the planned franchise. The movie had all the hallmarks of a great sci-fi series as John attempted to save Princess Dejah from marrying and being killed by her enemies, Sab Than of Zodanga and the Therns, a group of eternal beings. John Carter also began to build up the trilogy’s main villain, Matai Shang, a shape-shifting Thern who leads the eternal group. With questions lingering about what was next for John Carter when he returns to Barsoom after being tricked by Matai Shang and the Therns still roaming, the canceled sequels became more intriguing as details emerged.
Directed by acclaimed Pixar writer-director Andrew Stanton, John Carter was planned to be a trilogy chronicling the hero's adventures in Barsoom. Stanton revealed the plot and titles for the sequels, which would have expanded the franchise to new heights, possibly making for a formidable villain with Matai Shang starring as the big bad in the movies. The intended sequels were set to be titled Gods of Mars for John Carter 2, while John Carter 3 would have been Warlord of Mars. With a more ambitious sci-fi storyline, the setup for a sequel in the first movie would have paid off with a series that sounds incredibly cool.
John Carter's Sequels Could've Been Much Better Than The First Movie
Unlike the first John Carter movie flop, which focused on setting up the sequel, the storyline in the canceled trilogy movies creates an arc to position John Carter as a ruler who does everything he can to save others. In Gods of Mars, he exposes Matai Shang as a false god to the Firstborn, a race of people who lived in an underground city with completely modern technology, after Shang kidnaps his son. The second installment would bring more stakes for the characters as they try to save their son from a great threat. In the third installment, Warlord of Mars, Carter’s copy is killed on Mars by Therns and is in danger of being killed on Earth. Once saved on Earth, he returns to Barsoom to face off with Matai Shang in what would likely have been an epic final battle.
The sequels would have evolved visually, as well. With the additional focus on modern technology, the sequels would have allowed the studio to create pleasing visuals to enhance the story compared to the first movie. The perfect environment to establish this new elevation of the franchise would have been the underground city where the Firstborn live. Throughout the trilogy, these added digital effects would have also been useful with the new Martians that would have been showcased in Warlord of Mars.
Though John Carter didn’t receive the reception expected by the studio, the revealed information for the canceled sequels leaves many wanting more from the sci-fi adventure. The exciting details about what the franchise could have been continue to intrigue. With purposeful storylines and exciting new settings, the John Carter trilogy could have created a great sci-fi franchise for Disney.