Which is odd, because the stories only started publishing in 1911, ten years after Queen Victoria died, but maybe we’re just being pedants
The film, which is based on the pulp book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs that started publishing in 1911, is being directed by Andrew Stanton, most famous for helming such animated Pixar films as WALL-E , A Bug’s Life and Finding Nemo . Speaking to MTV, Strong says, “Andrew’s such a great storyteller. We’re in very safe hands and you know he’s going to make something exceptional. The thing that I think will distinguish it, which I’m most excited by, is that even though it takes place in space – it’s science fiction – it’s from a Victorian point of view. Because Edgar Rice Burrows novels were at the turn of the century, and his perception of space was very different from ours. The Martians, for example, wear breast plates and swords and helmets with wings on them. I think that’s what’s going to distinguish it visually.”
He also reveals of his Martians look, “In the books, they’re all bald, but they wear these strange blonde wigs. I think the feeling was that recreating that on film was a little bit strange. So it's much more of a traditional alien look: very shaved, pale, has a big robe. Very powerful.”
