Although Disney has more than a few major cinematic franchises under its belt, there are several flops, with one of the biggest reportedly receiving a reboot. This time, however, it looks like the story will be retooled as a brand-new series for Disney Plus.
This report comes from GFR. According to their sources, Disney plans to create a new series based on John Carter for their streaming service. Fans will recall that John Carter, a 2012 adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic science-fiction novel A Princess of Mars, happened to become one of the biggest flops in history.
Furthermore, the decision becomes baffling when one considers Disney’s efforts to reduce costs at Disney Plus. They’ve been cancelling and removing numerous shows and films in an effort to better curate the platform. There have also been reports that Disney would reduce the pace and budgets at which many of their tentpole shows were produced. Thus it seems odd to develop a John Carter series that would no doubt require expensive special effects.
As mentioned, Disney’s previous film adaptation was a massive flop. The film is said to have a budget between $260 million to $300 million and only managed to earn $284 million at the box office. But in years where Star Wars, Dune, and Avatar have all continued to find success, it makes sense that Disney might want to try cashing in on the property again. Especially when two of the three aforementioned franchises belong to them.
Either way, we’ll have to see how Disney plans to reboot the material for their streaming service. It’s possible that it could connect with audiences better than the last attempt. Especially when you consider that the original novels, called the Barsoom series, continue to be favorites of so many readers.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates on upcoming Disney Plus projects and the potential John Carter series as we have them.