Claim: Taylor Kitsch is a performer.

John Carter is a 2012 American science-fiction action film directed by Andrew Stanton from a screenplay written by Stanton , Mark Andrews , and Michael Chabon . The film was produced by Jim Morris , Colin Wilson , and Lindsey Collins , and is based on A Princess of Mars , the first book in the Barsoom series of novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs . John Carter stars Taylor Kitsch in the title role , Lynn Collins , Samantha Morton , Mark Strong , Ciarán Hinds , Dominic West , James Purefoy , and Willem Dafoe . The film chronicles the first interplanetary adventure of John Carter and his attempts to mediate civil unrest amongst the warring kingdoms of Barsoom .   Several developments on a theatrical film adaptation of the Barsoom series emerged throughout the 20th century from various major studios and producers , with the earliest attempt dating back to the 1930s . Most of these efforts , however , ultimately stalled in development hell . In the late-2000s , Walt Disney Pictures began a concerted effort to develop a film adaptation of Burroughs ' works , after a previously-abandoned venture by the studio in the 1980s . The project was driven by Stanton , who had pressed Disney to renew the screen rights from the Burroughs estate . Stanton became director in 2009 ; his live-action debut , as his previous directorial work for Disney included the Pixar Animation Studios films , Finding Nemo -LRB- 2003 -RRB- and WALL-E -LRB- 2008 -RRB- . Filming began in November 2009 , with principal photography underway in January 2010 , wrapping seven months later in July 2010 . Michael Giacchino composed the film 's musical score .   John Carter was released in the United States on March 9 , 2012 , marking the centennial of the titular character 's first appearance . The film was presented in Disney Digital 3-D , RealD 3D , IMAX 3D , and conventional formats . Upon release , John Carter received a mixed critical reception ; receiving praise for its visuals and action sequences , but criticism towards the characterization and plot . The film performed poorly at the North American box office , but set an opening-day record in Russia . It grossed $ 284 million at the worldwide box office , resulting in a $ 200 million writedown for Disney , against total production and marketing costs of $ 350 million .