Taylor Kitsch, RJ Mitte, Lynn Collins, and Frankie Muniz attend the John Carter Premiere at LA Live. Disney’s John Carter, “The Most Epic Action Film of 2012” – In Theatres Nationwide March 9th.
Edgar Rice Burroughs created the planet-hopping hero John Carter of Mars way back in 1912 in his serialized novels about a Southern gent transported to an alien world. So why does the new trailer for John Carter , directed by Pixar vet Andrew Stanton, feel so familiar? Shades of Avatar and Attack of the Clones distract from what should be nonstop ooh-ing and aah-ing over giant CG creature effects and Taylor Kitsch in a loincloth. Then again, Taylor Kitsch in a loincloth … thank you for that, Mr. Stanton.
‘It’s such a grand movie, and John is in every shot of this film,’ actor says. By Kevin Sullivan, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Taylor Kitsch in “John Carter” Photo: Disney Not just anyone can be John Carter . Taylor Kitsch found that out the hard way while auditioning for the role, his first blockbuster as the lead. And even though he had been unfamiliar with the John Carter books before, the role was, according to Kitsch, something he was “willing to do anything for.” In the upcoming adaption of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ beloved “A Princess of Mars,” Kitsch plays a Civil War veteran who finds himself transported to another planet. The Martians task Carter with saving the planet and rescuing the captive princess, played by Lynn Collins. The production finally came together recently after lingering in development for years and losing Jon Favreau, who was once attached to direct. The journey began by meeting with the director Andrew Stanton , best known for his work on Pixar films. “I knew of Stanton, of course, and I was a huge fan,” Kitsch says. “He was a big fan of Riggins, my ‘Friday Night Lights’ character, so right away we kind of pushed each other because we were so excited about just meeting one another.” After their initial meeting, Stanton took Kitsch through some of the preproduction work that the director and his team had already finished. “It’s literally floor-to-ceiling in prep and pictures, storyboards, arc of John Carter, arc of the Tharks, Dejah,” Kitsch said. “It’s not overwhelming, but it’s like, OK, this guy’s not screwing around.” That first meeting was just the beginning for Kitsch. The producers put him through “a lot,” but he understood that it all needed to happen. “It’s such a grand movie, and John is in every shot of this film, so of course it’s a big gap. You go on film, and you read for him a couple times and then you get to the screen test and you’re starting to battle through this,” Kitsch said. But Stanton was there for his eventual star every step of the way, especially during the two-day screen test. “This really says a lot about who he is. He takes you the day before and does a walkthrough,” Kitsch said. “He just puts everything level when you get there on the day. That just helped me settle in a lot.” Check out everything we’ve got on “John Carter.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: Taylor Kitsch
‘It was very tough for them,’ Taylor Kitsch says of photojournalists reliving their pasts. By Kara Warner Taylor Kitsch in “The Bang Bang Club” Photo: Tribeca Film New film “The Bang Bang Club” revolves around the real-life story of four combat photographers — Greg Marinovich, Joao Silva, Kevin Carter and Ken Oosterbroek — who risked their lives to capture the brutality and violence around the first free elections in post-apartheid South Africa in the early ’90s. Taylor Kitsch and Ryan Philippe star as two of the photographers, along with Malin Akerman as Robin Comley, their conflicted newspaper photo editor. When MTV News caught up with Kitsch and Akerman recently, we discussed the topical nature of the film , as well as the emotional aspect involved in meeting the real-life inspirations for the characters they portrayed. “When I first met Greg Marinovich, that was a big one for me, and Joao — obviously playing someone that has taken their own life, it hurts them a lot too,” Kitsch explained of portraying Carter. “It wasn’t that long ago, and obviously these guys went through a lot more than what I have with my best friends. Asking them to talk about that was very hard for them. It turned into quite — it was very tough for them.” Akerman’s meeting with the woman who inspired her character was equally emotionally charged. “I was lucky to have met Robin Comley,” she said. “She’s a fantastic woman, and she actually came to set one day — she tried coming to set and saw some of the characters in costume, and she just lost it. She couldn’t even deal. Like Taylor said, these people, it was like family, so for them to go through this and relive it, I was actually surprised that Greg and Joao were on set pretty much every day reliving everything.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Bang Bang Club.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
‘I saw the official trailer hours ago. [I’m] over the moon,’ ‘Friday Night Lights’ actor says. By Kara Warner Taylor Kitsch Photo: MTV News Although the release date for the highly anticipated “John Carter of Mars” is still a ways away (March 9, 2012, to be exact), we might be close to seeing an official trailer very soon. When MTV News caught up with star Taylor Kitsch yesterday during the press day for his upcoming drama “The Bang Bang Club,” we were pleasantly surprised to learn he had just seen the trailer. “We’re doing some fun little pickups right now,” Kitsch said. “I saw the official trailer hours ago. [I’m] over the moon,” he revealed. “We are just … it’s a special film. It’s going to be a good ride. I’m pumped!” Although he couldn’t go into specifics, Kitsch teased that when fans do see the trailer, they might have a hard time figuring out exactly what they’re seeing. “Man, I would love to get going and tell you everything about it,” he said. “All I’ll say is, good luck piecing it together. You’re going to be like, ‘How the f— does this all fit together?’ ” “And there’s a lot of heart in it too, to say the least,” he added. “Yeah, I’m excited about it.” The “Friday Night Lights” actor’s comments about the unique look of the film mirrored those of director Andrew Stanton , who told us that his take on the story, which is based on a series of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels about a Civil War veteran who becomes a great hero on Mars, will not look like anything we’ve seen before. “I didn’t try to make it look like anything else,” the Oscar winner told us back in January. “I really tried to make it its own thing. I tried to make a very historically accurate Martian film, if that makes sense,” he said. “So I’ll let you decipher that.” Check out everything we’ve got on “John Carter of Mars.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
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