Long ago, Cowboys & Aliens director Jon Favreau was slated to direct his own John Carter of Mars movie adaptation. Alas, the project was damned to development purgatory.
https://gizmodo.com/a-glimpse-of-the-john-carter-of-mars-creatures-well-nev-5191565
So what does Favreau think of Andrew Stanton’s version of the film? How does he feel about seeing another director take it past the finish line. We asked him — and Favreau revealed he has a cameo in Stanton’s movie.
While promoting Cowboys & Aliens Favreau sat down with a few journalists, including io9, and let the beans spill on a little John Carter secret.
There’s some really optimistic stuff [in Cowboys & Aliens] as far as the racism of the time. Where did that come from?
Jon Favreau: We’re not revisionist historians here. There is a lot of talk about people killing people and the Apaches and the scalps. We started off with images from the Blood Meridian right off the top. It’s a dark world. Harrison Ford’s story about what he witnessed as a child with the atrocities committed upon the settlers and the Indians are saying all these terrible things have come from the white people … and they’re [both] right.
Instead of making it like they’re all playing nice together and they happen to be friends right off the bat … even Harrison Ford and Adam Beach — who clearly have a very strong bond, stronger in many ways than he does with his own son — he’s conflicted about that feeling. But yet, in his heart, he still looked after him like a son and is seen as such. So I think what’s fun is to start them as far apart as you can and then…
I think it was Reagan who said during the Cold War that the only way the Russians and the Americans are going to get along is if aliens invade. A common enemy brings these people together, and I think that came from what I was playing with when I was working a version of John Carter of Mars, and there was this sense of very proud, stiff-necked people set in their differences that reluctantly come together and through that union are able to overcome odds and make the world a better place is a very moving theme.
Which we later followed up with this question…
Did you like the John Carter trailer?
Jon Favreau: I cameoed in John Carter, and they showed me footage. I have not seen [the trailer]. I saw a rough version, Andrew showed it to me. It’s gonna be great. Just from what I’ve seen there. I remember meeting Willem Dafoe, and seeing what they’re doing. I really feel — and you know it’s very close to my heart — I’m [in] the chain of filmmakers who’ve passed the torch for a 100 years on this one. I’m really proud that somebody is doing it right. And seeing the scale of it, I’m really glad it’s not me. It’s a huge movie, a huge movie.
We love a director who isn’t miffed by broken-down project, and we love that he’s in Andrew Stanton’s corner so much so that he’s willing to cameo in the flick (but then again, Favreau is kind of a sucker for a good cameo, isn’t he?) Check back for more from the Favs this week as we talk alien tech and other worldly things.
Full disclosure: Universal paid for io9’s travel and expenses at this junket.
