Pixar To Make Live Action Movie? Brad Bird To Direct John Carter Of Mars?

Update: Unlike most of the joke stories posted today, the facts within this story were near perfect. We were skeptical, and have finally confirmed that the story is nothing more than an April Fools Day joke.

Pixar will be stepping out of the animated realm into the live action world. The Incredibles director Brad Bird's (Ratatouille) next project, John Carter of Mars, will be the first live action Pixar film. The movie will be an adaptation from Edgar Rice Burroughs' eleven-volume Barsoom novel series.

According to UpcomingPixar, the animation studio will provide the visual effects for the film and Children of Men screenwriter Mark Fergus will co-direct and write the script. Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo) has also worked on the story. Bob Peterson will co-produce with John Walker (The Incredibles) and John Lasseter (Toy Story, Cars) will executive produce.

Attempts to adapt the book into a film have been going on since 1931. Jon Favreau, Robert Rodriguez, Ray Harryhausen, John McTiernan and Kerry Conran were each attached to direct at some point. At least three attempts were made to translate this adventure series to film in the past, and all were aborted. The first attempt was to be an animated feature with Burroughs himself on board, but disagreements between the studio and the filmmakers doomed the project.

A Princess of Mars was first published in 1917. The movie will follow Civil War vet John Carter, who is 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, Princess of Helium, who is in desperate need of a savior.