“John Carter” is often thought of as one of the biggest blockbuster failures in the history of Hollywood. Though in more recent years, thanks to streaming, sentiment has changed and the sci-fi fantasy film has gone on to earn a healthy cult following. However, a decade after the fact, there are still people trying to figure out what went wrong with “John Carter?” Perhaps the film would have done better if Tom Cruise was starring?
According to a new oral history of “John Carter” from The Wrap, every angle of the film is covered, from its decades of development to its massive box office disappointment. And one of the more interesting stories involves the casting of the title character and how Tom Cruise fits into everything.
Way before filmmaker Andrew Stanton would go on to be the guy to bring “John Carter” to life, the IP went through a variety of filmmakers’ hands, with various stars coming and going from the project. And at one point, years before the film would actually go into real production, Tom Cruise was attached to star. However, the project fell apart and lingered in development for a long time to follow.
So, as the film was being actively developed by Disney and Stanton in the late 2000s, Tom Cruise found himself excited about the prospect of starring in the film yet again. One problem—Stanton was already sold on the idea of young actor Taylor Kitsch leading the cast.
“I had Taylor already in mind by the time Tom made his interest known,” said Stanton. “Tom had a long history with the material, so it wasn’t too surprising to discover he still had interest in it. He was a consummate professional in his discussions with me about the role, and beyond respectful to the fact I was already on an audition path with Taylor. We agreed to talk further if I were to pass on Taylor, but I obviously didn’t. It was as simple and non-controversial as that.”
Of course, having watched the eventual final product, having Tom Cruise in the film wouldn’t have made much sense. John Carter is shown to be much younger than Cruise was at the time. And sure, the “Mission: Impossible” star has shown himself to be perfectly capable at leading an action franchise at an advanced age, but he definitely wasn’t right for “John Carter.”
While it’s an interesting footnote in the history of “John Carter,” it’s hard to imagine that even Tom Cruise could have saved the film. The problems, which are detailed in great length at The Wrap, were far too numerous to pin down to one casting issue.
“John Carter” is available now on Disney+.