Disney’s John Carter of Mars adaptation is filling up. THR says Samantha Morton, Dominic West, and Polly Walker have been added to the cast. Already on board in starring role are Taylor Kitsch as John Carter, Lynn Collins as the beautiful Deja Thoris, and Willem DaFoe as the hideous Martian monster sidekick Tars Tarkas.
Morton will play Sola, the daughter of Tars Tarkas. Walker plays Saroja, a character I don’t remember from the books at all but who is decribed as a “a merciless, tyrannical Thark.” Tharks are one of Barsoom’s (another name for Mars) two intelligent species. Dominic West, as usual, is the bad guy. In this case he’s a Zodangan (a tribe of Tharks) prince bent on setting himself up as the ruler of Mars.
Don’t let all the strange names turn you off, it’ll all come out in the wash. The story is actually fairly simple. John Carter is a Civil War soldier magically transported to Mars. Mars, or Barsoom as its natives call it, is not a lifeless wasteland but a world populated with two species of creatures. One looks human and doesn’t like to wear clothes. The other is green, warlike, and occasionally troublesome. Adventure, romance, and all that stuff ensues.
