Set pics appear for John Carter of Mars

Okay, so it’s only images of what the set looks like so far (prior to filming), but it’s still something to get your cinematic taste buds ready for John Carter of Mars. The unofficial John Carter of Mars website released a couple of new pictures of the set and also give out descriptions as to what some of them actually are.:

The statues he is referring to are 20-foot high, stone figures of what appear to be Tharks kneeling in supplication. (Sorry folks, we were only able to show the side of a broken head photo on that one) They do indeed have four arms, but how they are attached as well as their musculature isn’t evident as they are face down in the dirt and their arms are tucked to their chest (in prayer?). We can only guess that they are massive window dressing for a Thernian temple. Yes, you heard me… a Thernian temple…

Apparently, there is also a ten foot model of what our best guess would be a temple to the Therns. It certainly feels like a temple. Sort of a cross between an Aztec pyramid and a Multi-tiered Japanese shrine. It’s very natural looking, it’s made to look like it’s hewn out of the living rock. Unfortunately, it’s one of the photos we aren’t able to show you, but it is just barely visible in the arena photo. It’s directly beneath the scaffolding on the right side of the photo, just to the left of the two dark rectangular openings. It’s pyramidal in shape.

The Andrew Stanton directed picture stars Taylor Kitsch in the film based off the series of novels created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The story, adapted by Mark Andrews, Michael Chabon and Stanton, center on Civil War vet John Carter (Kitsch) who’s transplanted to Mars, where he discovers a lush, wildly diverse planet whose main inhabitants are 12-foot tall green barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins), Princess of Helium, who is in desperate need of a savior. The cast includes James Purefoy, Willem DaFoe, Dominic West, Mark Strong and Bryan Cranston.

John Carter of Mars is set for release in theaters everywhere sometime in 2012.