Strong: "Interestingly, John Carter’s had its titled changed. And there seems to be some kind of confusion as to why this should be, and I think the reason is brilliant. The reason is that he has to earn that title. Again, it’s a franchise or a number of books; a series of books that people may or may not know, but if you call him John Carter of Mars, I think at the very beginning, all the work’s been done and what Andrew wants to do, I think, is introduce people to this first film, and by the end of it, he becomes John Carter of Mars, but not at the beginning. In the beginning he’s John Carter, but by the end of the first film, he’s John Carter of Mars; so he’s earned that title to take it off should it want to go to further storytelling."

Movies.com: How successful do you feel like Andrew Stanton made that transition from animated filmmaking to live-action? And how did his past experiences impact your collaboration?

Strong: He was no different to any other film director. I mean, you’re in charge, you have to answer all the questions and you have to have the idea in your head. He definitely had all of that and more. His enthusiasm was what was really infectious. And your knowledge that he’s such a great storyteller was a very comforting thing to have during shooting. I mean, I don’t know how much collaboration he’s done on you know, subsequent [projects]. But I thought he was absolutely at the top of his game and he knew exactly what he was doing. More>>>

David had a Master of Fine Arts degree in Computer Animation. He currently was an instructor at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, however he started his career as a layout artist working for Filmation Studios, Hanna Barberra, and Mihan Productions. He also worked at Sony Children's Television as a storyboard artist. He later worked for DC and Marvel Comics, illustrating the adventures of many superheroes including Captain America, Spiderman, Wolverine, Punisher, and many more. He was a collector of Tarzan memorabilia. He enjoyed biking, running, hiking and swinging on vines. David was an art enthusiast; and enjoyed old Western movies.

In addition to his wife, Karen, he is survived by his daughters, Lauren Hoover and Alaina Hoover; his dog, Janey; and his two cats, Snickers and Lacey. David also is survived by his mother-in-law, Janet Freidel; his siblings, Gloria Shomper, Julie Nell, Jim Hoover, and Janis Hoover; and his loving nieces, nephews, and in-laws.

David's funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at St. John's United Methodist Church, 820 Almshouse Road Ivyland, PA 18974, where family will receive friends immediately following the service Memorial contributions may be made to Pilla Heart Center at Abington Hospital. Condolences may be made at the  Shelly Funeral Home Website.
Much of Dave's art is featured in his ERBzine Galleries starting at:
www.erbzine.com/mag3/0340.html

Linda Christian Dies at 87
Associated Press/NY Times ~  July 25, 2011
PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Linda Christian, a Hollywood starlet of the 1940s and ’50s who was in Johnny Weissmuller’s last Tarzan movie and the first adaptation of a James Bond novel, but who was probably best known for her marriage to her fellow heartthrob Tyrone Power, died here on Friday. She was 87. The cause was colon cancer, her daughter Romina Power said. Born Blanca Rosa Welter (some sources say Blanca Rosa Henrietta Stella Welter Vorhauer) in Mexico on Nov. 13, 1923, Ms. Christian pursued an acting career in Los Angeles and eventually signed a contract with MGM. Her stunning figure led Life magazine to nickname her the “anatomic bomb.” She made her film debut alongside Danny Kaye in the 1944 musical comedy “Up in Arms.”

Ms. Christian married Tyrone Power, one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men, in 1949, a year after appearing in “Tarzan and the Mermaids.” In 1954, eight years before the first James Bond movie, “Dr. No,” she starred as James Bond’s love interest in the television adaptation of “Casino Royale.” Barry Nelson played Bond. In addition to her daughter, Ms. Christian is survived by another daughter, Taryn Power, and eight grandchildren. 

FRANK FRAZETTA NEWS
July 22, 2011 There was a major Frazetta news announcement made in gala events yesterday during Comic-Con: 

Frazetta Properties LLC are partnering with the great film director Robert Rodriguez. Multiple movies are in the works including a live-action version of Fire & Ice followed by The Death Dealer. 

The Frazetta Museum will reopen in Rodriguez' home-base of Austin, Texas. The Frazetta Universe has just gotten a lot bigger! 

~ From Vanguard Productions

WATCH THE JOHN CARTER TRAILER
iTUNES ~ YOUTUBE
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See More Trailer Screen Captures in
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Gallery I and Gallery II
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Trailer Review 1 | Trailer Review 2 | Review 3 | Review 4

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JOHN CARTER PREVIEWS
John Carter Edit Bay at Barsoom Studios, LA

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click for larger images PREVIEW NOTES:
Visit to the John Carter Edit Bay at Barsoom Studios, LA 
HeyUGuys.co.uk ~ July 11, 2011
We sat in a big screening room and finally the man of the hour [Andrew Stanton] appeared. "This is a world that has influenced many of the biggest science-fiction films of the last 40 years . . . I just wanted to see the film be made by anyone, I just wanted to see it," Stanton said, and seeing the project at Disney gave him the opportunity to bring the novel to life in the form of motion pictures. . . . 

The first clip sees our titular hero lying on his back in the Arizona desert, or so he thinks.  In actuality, John Carter has just been transported to Barsoom (Mars) and the clip plays out with John Carter learning to walk [and leap] in the lower-gravity atmosphere of Barsoom.  John Carter is played by Taylor Kitsch, who looks very good in the role of John Carter. . . . The desert landscape that was on the screen was visually striking and realistic in nature, and the environment looked like what the real Arizona desert looks like here in the real world. 

It is here where we get our first look at the indigenous lifeforms known as the "Tharks."  In the novel, the Tharks are 12 foot green aliens with four arms, and the finished product on the screen definitely fits the description very well.  The head of the Tharks is Tars Tarkas, played by Willem Defoe. 

Defoe had to play the role in a motion-capture suit with two cameras mounted on his face to capture his performance, all while on stilts.  The next clip sees our heroine Dejah Thoris, played by Lynn Collins come in contact with a Thark, Sola, played by Samantha Morton.  Collins looks stunning in the role. . . .  [The footage] all had a style and a shine that looked like something that was unique in the genre of sci-fi.

[Over to Pixar] All of the creatures that make up the world of John Carter were put out for us to see, including a life-size Thark that would make any game-room in the world the best just for having one of these things in it. . . . 

Stanton talked a little more about the obstacles that stand in the way of John Carter, as so many films have borrowed from the novels over the years. . . .  John Carter is shaping up to be a rather unique film experience and another great film from Disney. 

Read the entire article and see the photos HERE

John Carter Sneak Preview from the UK
Bleeding Cool.com ~ July 7, 2011
A few of the highlights of the John Carter trailer as reported by BleedingCool.com:
The trailer begins with shots on Earth, the young Edgar Rice Burroughs (Daryl Sabara) being met in the street and addressed. . .  If these Earth shots weren’t filmed on an expansive, real soundstage but created digitally, it’s top-tier stuff. It was a living, breathing street, very busy and cluttered with life. . . . Everything had a very, very natural look to it, and my preconceptions that the film's design would be stylised in an Avatar fashion were proven completely unfounded. Only one shot seemed to feature one of the CG characters, and I can’t tell you which one, but he was male. The voice over appeared to be done by Willem Dafoe. . . Most of the shots of Barsoom showed very few signs of life. There was some kind of huge leap sequence in which Carter propelled himself from landmark to landmark. . . Despite the physics of what he was doing . . . it all looked oddly realistic. We got a good few shots of Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins, not much of anybody else, and Kitsch seemed to be decked out in warpaint, and was typically stripped to the waist. Nothing gave away any indication of plot. . . At the end of the trailer, a complex insignia unravelled to leave just the JCM glyph from the poster. This trailer will go on wide release with the new Harry Potter film . . .and it’s also due online soon. More>>>

JAMES PUREFOY TALKS JOHN CARTER Collider.com ~ July 2, 2011
[My] character’s name is Kantos Kan, and he is an admiral of a big ship, called the Xavarian. He’s very close to Tardos Mors, who’s played by Ciarán Hinds, who is the Emperor or King of Helium. He’s a very cheeky, mischievous soldier/airman. He’s not in this film very much, in the first one. I think a lot of the characters in the first John Carter are established, but with the knowledge that they’re going to be bigger in the next two episodes of it. So, it’s a lovely character. He’s just very charming. He’s not frightened of getting involved in very sticky situations with John Carter. There’s a certain bravado about him. He’s a bit Errol Flynn-esque. He has a great lust for life and he’s a very positive character, in the film. More>>>

"A few weeks ago Aristocrat’s Tarzan Lord of the Jungle video slot game arrived at the Fiesta in Henderson.

"It is almost impossible to walk by this machine without stopping to watch. It has a huge screen, fabulous graphics and great sound. There were four machines but I had to wait for one to open so I could play.

"That was fine because there was a lot to watch – wheels spinning, elephants stampeding, Tarzan yelling while swinging across the screen and, best of all, the oooohs and ahhhh’s of people winning. . . ."  More>>>

2012 EVENTS IN TARZANA: ECOF and DUM-DUM
Updates from ERB, Inc. and the LA SubERBs:


* Both the ECOF and the Dum-Dum will be in a hotel in Tarzana, 2012.
* The ECOF will be Friday and Saturday, March 2 - 3, 2012. 
Disney is giving a Saturday Night advance screening of JOHN CARTER 
at the Disney studios for ECOF registrants and their families.
* The 2012 Dum-Dum dates are officially Wednesday through Saturday, August 15-18.
A multitude of Centennary events, guests and special projects are planned for this event.
* The first appearance of the Disney trailer for JOHN CARTER will be at the opening of Harry Potter #8 
-- ONE month from now!
* Unfortunately Disney has decided not to promote JC at all at the San Diego ComicCon.
* Disney is currently re-shooting some of the live scenes for the film.
* SubERBs want to connect with some other fan groups which might resonate with ERB, 
such as the Dickens society, the Sherlock Holmes group, the Jules Verne conventions, and the P. J. Farmer group. 
They plan to have a flier published which can be given out to interested parties.

Follow the regular updates for 2012 
and check out the many events planned for the 2011 Pocatello Dum-Dum at:
http://www.ERBzine.com/dumdum
and 
http://www.tarzan.com/meets

Movie Studios Reassess Comic-Con
New York Times ~ June 12, 2011
LOS ANGELES — In summers past, major studios have used Comic-Con International, the premiere convention for comic book, science fiction and fantasy fans, as a marketing platform. . . This year? Warner’s main studio operation is bringing nothing. Ditto Disney and DreamWorks. The Weinstein Company, a perennial presence, will also sit this one out. Even Marvel Entertainment is on the fence about whether it will mount a major presentation.

Comic-Con, as a growing number of movie marketers are realizing, has turned into a treacherous place. Studios come seeking buzz, but the Comic-Con effect can be more negative than positive. The swarm of dedicated fans can instantly sour on a film if it doesn’t like what it sees, leaving publicity teams with months of damaging Web chatter to clean up. . . . More>>>

Mark Strong Talks About John Carter 
ComicBookMovie.com ~ June 9, 2011
Mark Strong recently sat down and talked about his role as Matai Shang in the upcoming production of John Carter, discussing his look in the film as well as how the film will look:
"In the books, they're all bald, but they wear these strange blonde wigs in the books. I think the feeling was that recreating that on film was a little bit strange. So it's much more of a traditional alien look: very shaved, pale, has a big robe. Very powerful.

"Andrew's (Stanton the director) such a great storyteller. We're in very safe hands and you know he's going to make something exceptional. The thing that I think will distinguish it, which I'm most excited by, is that even though it takes place in space — it's science fiction — it's from a Victorian point of view. Because Edgar Rice Burroughs novels were at the turn of the century, and his perception of space was very different from ours. The Martians, for example, wear breast plates and swords and helmets with wings on them. I think that's what's going to distinguish it visually."

"The Therns are a very powerful race we don't need to get down and dirty. We're cerebral rather then physical."
>>View The Interview

Marvel Announces JOHN CARTER: A PRINCESS OF MARS
New Series of Comics Adapts Seminal Edgar Rice Burroughs Novels New York, NY, June 7— Marvel Entertainment, in collaboration with the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate, is proud to announce all new graphic fiction adaptations of the legendary John Carter novels, beginning with John Carter: A Princess of Mars #1 (of 5) in September 2011. By working closely with the ERB estate, all John Carter comics produced with Marvel Entertainment will be considered part of the official canon, adding new layers to the rich mythos created by Burroughs. 

Transported to the dying planet of Mars, Captain John Carter must now fight for his life against creatures unlike any ever seen by mankind. But as he finds himself enveloped by an alien civil war, he meets the proud and beautiful Dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, who will change his life forever!

“With our new partnership with Marvel Entertainment, we believe we have found the best creative force to revive the thrills and adventures in the 21st Century of the legendary John Carter of Mars.  We are looking forward to introducing this original interplanetary adventurer to a new generation of fans and await the first issue with great anticipation,” said  James Sullos, President of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.

Re-envisioned by acclaimed scribe Roger Langridge (Thor: The Mighty Avenger) and fan-favorite artist Filipe Andrade (Onslaught Unleashed), with covers by Eisner-winner Skottie Young (Wonderful Wizard of Oz), John Carter: A Princess of Mars #1 (of 5) brings you the story you love like you’ve never seen it before.

“Edgar Rice Burroughs created one of the great action heroes in John Carter and we’re excited to bring his novels to comics for a new generation,” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Editor-In-Chief. “Roger and Filipe are going to blow everyone away with their take on the John Carter novels, keeping fans new and old on the edge of their seats.” 

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This September, one of the greatest action stories of all time comes to life in John Carter: A Princess of Mars #1!

JOHN CARTER: A PRINCESS OF MARS #1 (of 5)
Based on the Novel by EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
Adaptation by ROGER LANGRIDGE
Art and Variant Cover by FILIPE ANDRADE
Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
All Ages …$2.99 
ON-SALE SEPTEMBER 2011

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit www.comicshoplocator.com

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of over 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit www.marvel.com 

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND/OR ARTWORK PLEASE CONTACT:
Arune Singh 
MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT 
212-576-4061
asingh@marvel.com

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‘Tarzan’ swings to Warsaw
Wagon Wheel production boasts new script, character
Journal Gazette ~ June 5, 2011
Disney’s “Tarzan,” the stage musical based on the animated hit, will make its regional debut Wednesday at the Ramada Wagon Wheel Theatre in Warsaw. The Wagon Wheel is the first non-equity theater in the country to produce the musical since it closed on Broadway in July 2007. The Wagon Wheel production will feature a version of the script that has never been seen anywhere before, says the theater’s marketing director, Will Dawson.

The Broadway run was known for elaborate acrobatics and stunt work. The Wagon Wheel version will be somewhat scaled down, says Brian Martin, who plays Lord Greystoke, aka Tarzan. “Our director, Scott Michaels, believes the flying elements and the huge production (in the original staging of the show) took away from the beautiful story that ‘Tarzan’ is,” he says.  “That being said,” interjects Alex Finke, who plays Jane, “people climb all over the set (in our version) and there are vines to swing on.” More>>> or see the ERB Eclectica page for June 2011.

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North Shore Finds Its Tarzan
Playbill ~ June 13, 2011
Brian Justin Crum, whose Broadway credits include Next to Normal, Grease and Wicked, will star in the title role of the North Shore Music Theatre's upcoming production of the Disney musical Tarzan. Directed by Bill Castellino with choreography by Josh Bergasse, performances are scheduled at the Massachusetts venue for July 12-24. Complete casting will be announced shortly.

The North Shore production will feature the debut of a new 14-piece orchestration for the musical. Librettist David Henry Hwang is also working through rehearsals to revise the book.

Craig Brewer Makes 'Tarzan' Deal, Writing Ape Man Saga As Trilogy
Deadline ~ June 2, 2011
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros has locked Craig Brewer (Footloose, Black Snake Moan, Hustle and Flow) into a deal to write and direct a new installment of Tarzan. Brewer has come up with a take that tells the Tarzan story over three films. He hopes the first one will be his next directing assignment. Warner Bros, which has been stymied in watching several attempts to relaunch the Edgar Rice Burroughs-created hero die on the vine, separately has screenwriter Adam Cozad working on a script that tells a different version of the man raised by apes in the jungles of Africa from infancy. How the studio decides which film to make remains to be seen, but clearly Warner Bros is determined to revive a live action Tarzan.  Jerry Weintraub is producing with Alan Riche and Tony Ludwig. 

aka JOHN CARTER May 24, 2011: Walt Disney Pictures JOHN CARTER OF MARS has had its name shortened to simply JOHN CARTER. The film is directed by WALL-E and FINDING NEMO helmer Andrew Stanton, and will be released on 9th March 2012 in the US.

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John Carter Of No Fixed Abode
SFX ~ May 24, 2011
Walt Disney has announced that theirt live action film, John Carter Of Mars, will now be simply known as John Carter, which is a bit odd as it removes the truly interesting bit from the title and leaves you with a name which will only mean anything to a mere handful of the potential audience. But in another way, it makes sense, because the film is actually based more on the book A Princess Of Mars, while John Carter Of Mars was the name of a different, later book in author Edgar Rice Burroughs's Mars series. Maybe Disney is just trying to get rid of any Mars references at all, fearing that setting the film there might come across a little cheesy these days. We’ll see…

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. vigorously enforces and defends its rights in the Tarzan character and stories.  In 2003, for example, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the trial court's decision in ERB's favor that two Tarzan books published in 1972 and 1976 illustrated by artist Burne Hogarth are works for hire owned by ERB, notwithstanding erroneous registrations stating that Hogarth was the author of the works.

The district court initially sanctioned ERB's adversaries and their counsel, though the court later vacated the sanctions on the condition that ERB be reimbursed for certain of its attorneys' fees that had been the subject of the sanctions motion.