Let’s be real for a second. If you’re here, you probably remember that 2012 weekend when Disney’s massive sci-fi epic landed in theaters with the grace of a lead balloon. Critics weren’t kind. The marketing was a mess. But over a decade later, the conversation around John Carter 2 refuses to die. It’s the sequel that feels like it exists in some parallel universe where the first movie didn't lose $200 million.
Honestly, the first film, John Carter, wasn't even bad. Directed by Andrew Stanton—the genius behind Finding Nemo and WALL-E—it was a sincere, big-budget adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars. It had heart. It had those weird, four-armed Tharks. It had a score by Michael Giacchino that still rips. Yet, here we are, still wondering why Disney buried the franchise before it could even walk.
The Scrapped Plans for Gods of Mars
Stanton didn't just want to make one movie. He had a whole trilogy mapped out in his head. The sequel was already titled John Carter: The Gods of Mars, following the second book in Burroughs’ series.
Imagine this: John Carter finally makes it back to Barsoom (Mars) after ten years of staring at the stars on Earth. He’s desperate to find Dejah Thoris. Instead, he lands in the Valley Dor, which is basically a fake paradise used by a cult of "First Born" pirates to harvest people for food. It’s dark. It’s way weirder than the first movie. Stanton and his co-writer Mark Andrews had already finished a script treatment. They knew exactly where the story was going.
The plot would have introduced the plant men—creatures with a single eye and suckers on their hands—and explored the subterranean oceans of Mars. It was going to be a massive expansion of the lore. Instead of just "civil war on Mars," we were going to get a deep dive into the planet's false religions and the terrifying truth about its origins.
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Why Disney Killed the Franchise
Money. Obviously. But it’s more complicated than just a bad box office number.
The "film John Carter 2" died because of a perfect storm of corporate reshuffling. When the first movie was in production, Dick Cook was the head of Disney. By the time it came out, he was gone, replaced by Rich Ross. New regimes rarely like to take ownership of the previous guy’s expensive mistakes. Ross eventually resigned shortly after the film's release, and the project was essentially orphaned.
Then there was the marketing disaster. Disney’s marketing team famously dropped "of Mars" from the title because they thought "Mars" movies didn't sell (thanks to Mars Needs Moms). They dropped "Princess" because they didn't want boys to think it was a "girl movie." What they were left with was John Carter. A name that sounds like a tax accountant. No one knew what it was about.
By the time the dust settled, Disney had also acquired Lucasfilm. Why bother trying to fix a broken "Star Wars-like" franchise when you literally own Star Wars?
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The Fan Campaign That Won't Quit
You’ve probably seen the petitions. "Take Me Back to Barsoom" and other fan groups have been incredibly loud over the years. They point to the film's strong home video sales and its "cult classic" status as proof that a sequel could work.
The rights situation is the biggest hurdle now. In 2014, the film rights to the Barsoom series reverted back to the Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. estate. Disney no longer owns the ability to make a sequel even if they wanted to. This means any John Carter 2 would have to be a complete reboot or a "spiritual successor" from a different studio like Netflix, Amazon, or Warner Bros.
Is there hope? Maybe. We’ve seen Dune succeed where it previously failed. We’ve seen Blade Runner 2049 happen decades later. But a direct sequel with Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins? That ship has likely sailed into the Martian sunset.
The Reality of a 2026 Reboot
If a studio picks this up today, they aren't going to call it John Carter 2. They’ll start over. They’ll probably go back to the original title, A Princess of Mars, and lean into the pulpy, weird roots of the source material.
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The landscape of sci-fi has changed. Audiences are okay with weirdness now. We watch Foundation on Apple TV+ and The Expanse. The "unfilmable" nature of Burroughs’ world isn't a problem anymore with modern VFX. The real challenge is the baggage of the 2012 failure. Studios are terrified of "busted IP."
What You Can Actually Do Right Now
Since we aren't getting a trailer for John Carter 2 anytime soon, the best way to experience that story is to go to the source.
- Read the Books: The Gods of Mars is arguably better than the first book. It's fast-paced, violent, and surprisingly philosophical about religion and power.
- Watch the "Stanton Cut" Interviews: Andrew Stanton has been very open in recent years about what his sequels would have looked like. His interviews on various film podcasts provide the best "mental movie" of what could have been.
- Support the Estate: Follow Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. They are the gatekeepers. If they see enough engagement, they’ll be more likely to strike a deal with a new streaming service.
The dream of seeing Taylor Kitsch leap across the Martian desert one more time is probably just that—a dream. But the world of Barsoom is too influential to stay dead forever. Someone, eventually, will realize that the "grandfather of science fiction" deserves another shot at the big screen.
Next Steps for the Barsoom Fan
- Check the Rights Status: Keep an eye on trade publications like The Hollywood Reporter for any news regarding the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate and new licensing deals.
- Explore "The Gods of Mars": If you want to know exactly what the sequel's plot was, read the 1913 novel. It serves as a direct blueprint for what Stanton intended to film.
- Watch the 2012 Film Again: View it through the lens of a "prologue" rather than a standalone movie. It changes how you perceive the pacing and the world-building.