Mark Strong Talks "John Carter of Mars"

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

If you haven’t heard of actor Mark Strong yet, don’t worry, soon enough, you will.

The English actor has found himself in a multitude of villainous roles throughout the years including “Syriana,” “Tristan & Isolde,” “Revolver” and “Sunshine.” He also will introduce himself into the mainstream when he portrays the villain Lord Blackwood in “Sherlock Holmes” on Christmas Day.

Cinema Blend spoke with the actor while he was promoting “Sherlock Holmes” and got some information on the upcoming film “John Carter of Mars,” in which he naturally plays…a villain.

“John Carter of Mars” is centered on Carter, the lead character in much of Edgar Rice Burroughs's 11-volume Barsoom series. The film will be based on the first story to feature John Carter, “A Princess of Mars,” which was first published as a novel in 1917.

Carter is an American Civil War veteran who goes to sleep in a cave after being chased by Apache Indians and wakes up on Mars. Formerly an Earthlike world, it became less hospitable to life due to its advanced age. The planet devolved into partial barbarism with the inhabitants hardened and warlike, fighting one another to survive.

Strong says that the film doesn’t involve much CGI and he thinks extremely highly of director Andrew Stanton. Says Strong, “He's a genius. He's such a good storyteller. When I met him and he showed me the storyboards, the ideas for the sets and the designs for the characters, it's just absolutely mind-blowing. I can't wait to get involved with it.”

Strong also mentions that filming has begun in Utah, but most of his part will be filmed on soundstages outside of London. He noted, “My character doesn't actually get involved in any of the motion-capture stuff. All the stuff is live action. Although I can shift my shape, so I have to be photographed by a 360-degree camera. I can adapt into anything. That's going to be my particular talent.”

Joining Strong on the film are Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton, Dominic West, Polly Walker, Thomas Haden Church and James Purefoy.

The project currently scheduled for a Summer 2012 release.