Lone Ranger Radio Voice Fred Foy Dies
CBC ~ December 22, 2010
Fred Foy, the radio announcer best-known for calling out "Hi-Yo, Silver!" in his passionate lead-in to The Lone Ranger, has died at his home near Boston. His daughter, Nancy Foy, said her father died Wednesday of natural causes. He was 89. Foy worked as an actor before landing the job as the announcer on The Lone Ranger in 1948. Radio historian Jim Harson said Foy's dramatic introduction, performed over and over for the live program, was so good it "made many people forget there were others before him." Nancy Foy said that to the end of his life, her father never tired of repeating the intro to anyone who would ask.
 

The full intro as it was heard on radio: "Hi-Yo, Silver! A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty 'Hi-Yo Silver'... The Lone Ranger! With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains led the fight for law and order in the early West. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoof-beats of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again!"

Foy narrated the radio series until its end in 1954. He is also heard on The Green Hornet and Challenge of the Yukon. In 1960, Foy joined the ABC announcing staff in New York and announced for The Dick Cavett Show as well as announcing radio news documentaries for the network. Fred Foy is survived by his wife of 63 years, Frances Foy, and their three children. More>>>

Tantor of the Jungle Daily Mail ~ December 22, 2010
While the text books insist there are just two species of elephant in the world – the long-eared African and the smaller Asian – many experts have been convinced there are three. Now a genetic study has confirmed that Africa alone is home to two distinct types of the animal. DNA tests have shown that the larger savanna elephant, known from thousands of wildlife documentaries and Tarzan movies, is indeed a separate species from the smaller and much overlooked forest-dwelling variety. In fact, the two African elephants are as distinct from each other as some living elephants are from mammoths, the study found. It also concluded that, with the exception of some inter-breeding between the two, the species have been separate for at least five million years. The split between African savanna and forest elephants is almost as old as the split between humans and chimpanzees.

African savanna elephants have an average shoulder height of 11.5ft and weigh between six and seven tons. Their tusks are more curved and their ears more pointed than forest elephants, and they have one fewer toenail on each foot.  In contrast, the African forest elephants are just eight feet tall at the shoulder and weigh half as much as their bush relatives. They live in the Congo basin and have rounder ears. More>>>

John Sheffield, Tarzan's 'Boy,' dies at age 79
Sheffield also starred in 'Bomba' pics
Variety ~ Oct. 19, 2010
Johnny Sheffield, who played Boy in the Tarzan pics, died Oct. 15 in Chula Vista of a heart attack after falling out of a tree in his backyard. He was 79. Sheffield started to play Boy in the Johnny Weismuller "Tarzan" film starting with 1939's "Tarzan Finds a Son!" with Maureen O'Sullivan. He went on to play the part in eight pics in the series including "Tarzan's Secret Treasure" and "Tarzan and the Amazons."

The son of Brit thesp Reginald Sheffield, he got the part after his father saw an MGM ad in the Hollywood Reporter. The lad had appeared on stage in "On Borrowed Time" so he had some acting experience. During casting he was asked to swim and though he didn't know how, Weismuller, whom Sheffield called "Big John" helped him out. He also appeared in tuner "Babes in Arms" with Mickey Rourke and Judy Garland.

After 1947's "Tarzan and the Huntress," Sheffield segued to Monogram Pictures' "Bomba" pics beginning with 1949's "Bomba, the Jungle Boy." After 1955's final "Bomba" pic he shot a TV series "Bantu, the Zebra Boy," created by his father but which never made it to air. Sheffield, who'd been schooled on the MGM lot, got a business degree from UCLA and worked for a Yuma, Ariz., farming company and then turned to real estate. Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Patricia; two sons and a daughter; a brother, thesp Billy Sheffield; plus a grandson.

ERBzine Tribute:
 http://www.erbzine.com/mag31/3198.html

Lamont Johnson, Emmy-Winning Director, Dies at 88
New York Times ~ October 27, 2010
Lamont Johnson, an Emmy-winning television director known for bringing an understated touch to delicate subjects, died on Sunday at his home in Monterey, Calif. He was 88.

Mr. Johnson, the director of more than 150 television shows, miniseries and movies of the week, received 11 Emmy nominations during his 45-year directing career. 

Lamont Johnson also performed on radio from the mid-1940s through the early  1950s in a variety of roles on such shows. He played the Tarzan role in over 70 shows in the 1951 Commodore Tarzan radio series. See and hear at ERBzine 2737

Tony Curtis (85) dies at Las Vegas home September 30, 2010
Born: Bernard Schwartz - June 3, 1925 in the Bronx, NY ~ Died: September 29, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada 

Tony Curtis, the Bronx tailor's son who became a 1950s movie heartthrob and then a respected actor with such films as "Sweet Smell of Success," ''The Defiant Ones" and "Some Like It Hot," died last night. He was 85.  He played Archimedes Q Porter in 1989's Tarzan in Manhattan which also starred Joe Lara, Kim Crosby and Jan Michael Vincent.

Porter was the ex-cop father of Brooklynese taxi driver, Jane. The film took the Tarzan character to modern day New York in search of his missing primate friend, Cheetah. Curtis' overacting added a comedy element to the otherwise forgettable film. 
 

TARZAN SWINGS AGAIN!
Andy Briggs will be rebooting the TARZAN franchise in a brand new series of books.  Bringing Edgar Rice Burroughs classic eco-warrior into the 21st century, the new franchise looks to kick off next year in preparation for the 2012 centenary of Tarzan’s first appearance!

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THE FIRST DRAFT!
 AndyBriggs.co.uk ~ September 17, 2010
Today saw another tick in the life-box of things I've always wanted to achieve, that being write a TAZAN book.  I completed the first draft today with a huge sigh of relief.  I have been living with this story for the last year and a half in which time I had to approach the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate for permission to launch an official re-boot of the character, then I had to prepare sample chapters, story break downs and truck loads of enthusiasm as we went out to publishers.  And now, after a great research trip to Africa last year, I have finished!

Well, not quite finished.  I’m fully aware of the changes that lie ahead that transforms a first draft into a final draft, but I’m ready for that.  Today I had the simple pleasure of sitting back and reading the story in full for the first time.  It was also the chance to sit back and listen to a different playlist on iTunes.  When I write, I like to listen to music that puts me in the mood of the story.  I feel it can seep into the writing and help texture scenes and give them that little emotional boost.  For Tarzan my playlist consisted of: 

Congo (Jerry Goldsmith), Avatar (James Horner), Might Joe Young (James Horner), King Kong (James Newton Howard), Jurassic Park 2 (John Williams), Jurassic Park 3 (Don Davis) and selected tracks from Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (John Williams), Casino Royale (David Arnold) and The 13th Warrior (Graeme Ravell’s unused score)

In between that I was fielding calls with the Sunday Times who are doing a feature on Tarzan this weekend, so be sure to check that out.

James Purefoy on Stanton's John Carter of Mars
Comic Book Movie Fansite ~ Interview Excerpts ~ September 12, 2010
'I've seen artwork and it is just gonna be incredible. I mean really mind gobbly, just extraordinary, really amazing. There are two civilizations on the surface of Mars and John Carter gets teleported there from a cave. He ends up there and he sorts out and it's the first part of a trilogy of films. It's directed by Andrew Stanton who directed WALL-E and Finding Nemo. There really aren't that many geniuses working in Hollywood but I really think that he's one of them. If you only look at his story telling skills alone, which is what this whole job is about, just telling stories. then you would mark him down as someone who is just gobsmackingly brilliant at bringing you along on a story and adventure. It's gonna be extraordinary."

 
An Interview with Andy Briggs
Write Away Interviews ~ September 2010
The creator of Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs, died in 1950, and the law of copyright is a complete mess - different in the US, where Tarzan is in the public domain, like in Australia as well I think, unlike the rest of the world. And then ‘Tarzan’ is a trademark now, and you cannot do anything with the name. It’s a quagmire…a bit of minefield.

I had the idea of re-launching and rebranding the character for a modern audience, and everyone said forget it, it won’t happen. But I went ahead anyway and directly approached the Burroughs estate - who are the nicest people to work with - and they were interested!

 I went over to LA to meet them, at the brilliantly named Tarzana , and they really bought in to the rebranding idea. What I didn’t realise at the time [2009] was that 2012 was the centenary of the publication of the first Tarzan story, and we, the estate and I, have been working together in secret on the idea. There were various offers and deals, but now the first new title will be published by Faber next summer.

Weirdly enough, despite the fact that the last live action movie was Greystoke in 1984 [ERBzine: TARZAN AND THE LOST CITY 1998], and then there was the Disney cartoon version in 1999, the kids still know who Tarzan is and can all do the yodel. Despite the fact that it comes from the 1930 black and white movies!

 I’m going to write the first two, and we’ll see where it goes. I don’t mind if other people come in, as long as there’s something I’m moving on to…for example, were developing the Hero/Villain TV show at the moment and I’m quite happy - if I can do the pilot and produce and oversee it - for people to write all the other shows, as long as it keeps within the feel and the tone of the series. More>>>

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Andy Briggs has written film and TV screenplays, comic book scripts and novels, often all at the same time. He’s probably best known in the children’s publishing world for Hero.com and Villain.net, his two ‘parallel worlds’ superhero series from OUP. 

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See the April 2010 News Release

'Tarzan' returns in 3D
Variety ~ August 9, 2010
Germany's Constantin Film is swinging into "Tarzan," launching development of a 3D animated feature. The English-language pic will be produced inhouse by Robert Kulzer and Reinhard Klooss. Constantin acquired animation rights to the "Tarzan" novels from the estate of author Edgar Rice Burroughs. The first book in the series, "Tarzan of the Apes," was published in 1912 and spawned numerous sequels and related works. The character became strongly identified with Johnny Weismuller after he starred as Tarzan in a series of MGM features in the 1930s, helping the Ape Man become one of the world's best-known literary figures. 

Kulzer is a producer on two upcoming 3D projects -- "Resident Evil: Afterlife," opening this fall, and "The Three Musketeers," which begins shooting this month. Klooss is the writer, director and producer of "Animals United," an animated CGI 3D film releasing this fall. Martin Moszkowicz, Constantin Film's head of film and TV, will exec produce. Ambient Entertainment, which did the animation for "Animals United," will work on "Tarzan." 

In 1999, Disney's animated "Tarzan" grossed $448 million worldwide. Warner Bros. and Jerry Weintraub have been developing a live-action "Tarzan" since 2003 and have negotiated with Guillermo del Toro and Stephen Sommers to direct at various points. More>>>

John Carter of Mars Release Date Announced
August 9, 2010
Disney has announced the release date for John Carter of Mars.  Stanton's John Carter of Mars will be released on June 8, 2012. It's an adaptation of the pulp-adventure novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs centered around A Princess of Mars - first written by Burroughs in 1911. This is the first of a planned series of ERB Mars films. Rumours persist  that the series may be in Disney 3D.

John Carter of the University of Paris reports:
New Clues Suggest Wet Era on Early Mars Was Global
Technology Daily ~ August 5th, 2010 
In recent years, the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have found clay minerals that are signatures of a wet environment at thousands of sites in the southern highlands of Mars, where rocks on or near the surface are about four billion years old. . . . French and American researchers report in the journal Science this week that some large craters penetrating younger, overlying rocks in the northern lowlands expose similar mineral clues to ancient wet conditions. "We can now say that the planet was altered on a global scale by liquid water about four billion years ago," said John Carter of the University of Paris, the report's lead author. Other types of evidence about liquid water in later epochs on Mars tend to point to shorter durations of wet conditions or water that was more acidic or salty. More>>>

Disney wraps up Mars movie shooting in Utah
The Standard ~ August 2, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY - Principal photography is now completed in Utah for The Walt Disney Studios' upcoming feature film, "John Carter of Mars," being directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WallâàôE), and produced by Colin Wilson (Avatar). Filmed throughout Southern Utah in the areas of Big Water, Kanab, Hanksville, Delta and Moab, the production created 300 jobs over a 120-day period, and brought $21 million into several rural Utah economies. "As Governor, I am particularly happy that Utah has been host to the recently completed production of 'John Carter of Mars' during the past year. The book series was a favorite of mine when I was young, and I can't wait to see the finished film," Governor Gary R. Herbert said. "This project has stimulated the state's local economies at a critical time and provided hundreds of jobs for Utah's film professionals." "This was an ideal project for Utah because of the unique landscapes we have within our borders," said Marshall Moore, director of the Utah Film Commission. 

'Conan' painting by late Pa. artist goes for $1.5M
Associated Press ~ July 23, 2010
PHILADELPHIA — A 1971 painting by fantasy artist Frank Frazetta has sold for $1.5 million, two months after the Pennsylvania artist's death. Frazetta's managers said this week that a private collector bought "Conan the Destroyer" from a family trust. Managers Robert Pistella and Stephen Ferzoco call it the price the highest ever for a work by Frazetta.

JOHN CARTER OF MARS FILM INTERVIEW EXCERPTS
July 15, 2010
The Martian Chess site has interviewed Kev McCurdy the man responsible for all the swordplay in the John Carter of Mars film. A few highlights from this interview: 

Kev McCurdy: The swordmaster choreographs with the core stunt team. The stunt coordinator then films the fights, gives them to the director. The director then says 'cool'. The stunt coordinator then 'signs' the fight off. We then teach the actors concerned. . . .   Each character had their own style and I fitted their style to the way they were playing their character so moves became organic, they flowed easily for them. . . . We had a lot of fun developing the Thark style and making it as brutal and minimalistic as we could. . . . The styles of blade were designed by Mark Andrews. They fit the different races and this was helpful when designing the fighting styles. The Zodangan blade was straight and I used that for a very brutal close quarter combat style as well as long distance striking. The Heliumite blade was slightly curved so their style was, as I call it, 'living on the 45 degree'. Their movements were straight lined and diagonal whereas the Zodangans were straight lined and totally in your face. The Tharks had huge axes and spears and used those as well as anything else they could get their hands on. . . Taylor [Kitsch] is a natural at movement. He clicks into what is needed for the fights very, very quickly and he's awesome with a sword. . . . Lynn [Collins] was lovely to work with. The fans will love her because she's feisty, intelligent and beautiful. Everything that the character is. She has a beautiful movement about her and I didn't want to lose that when I was training her so I made all of her moves flow by using circular movements then using straight line moves to use her core strength when blitzing the Zodangans. She did an awesome job. 

Read the entire interview at MartianChess.com

The Official Frank Frazetta Museum Site features
A Tribute for Frank Frazetta
A tribute for Frank Frazetta will be held on July 17 from 1-6pm. 

The event will be held at 186 South Courtland St. East Stroudsburg PA 18301. There will be a semi-formal dress code and a $10 donation for the Juvenile diabetes research fund, a cause close to Franks heart since the diagnosis of one of his granddaughters with the illness. 

For more information contact: 570-421-9054.

Avatar Returns to the Movie Screens August 27
Canada.com ~ July 9, 2010
Film fans who haven't seen Avatar yet — or who can't wait to see it again — now have their big date: It's coming back to theatres on Aug. 27. The re-release on 3-D and Imax screens will include eight minutes of new footage. Avatar, the highest-grossing movie of all time, has already brought in $2.7 billion worldwide, and 20th Century Fox points out that it's also the top-selling Blu-ray Disc of all time.

LOS ANGELES - Avatar director, James Cameron, is training his 3-D camera on a planet closer to home: Mars. The Oscar-winning filmmaker has persuaded NASA to install a high-resolution 3-D camera on the next generation Mars rover, Curiosity, due to launch in 2011. Cameron, whose science-fiction epic Avatar has earned more than 2.7 billion dollars worldwide, argued that a rover with 3-D "eyes" would better help to capture public imagination in the mission. NASA has purchased a 3-D camera that would be rigged to a mast on top of Curiosity. "It's a very ambitious mission. It's a very exciting mission," Cameron said. "(The scientists are) going to answer a lot of really important questions about the previous and potential future habitability of Mars."

Faber signs "next generation" Tarzan series
The Bookseller ~ June 29, 2010
UK publisher Faber has signed a new children's series featuring the "next generation Tarzan", with the full backing of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate. Set in modern Africa, the series will be written by Andy Briggs, author of the Hero.com books and the Villain.Net "anti-series". The first title will be released in 2011, with the second book launched during the official Tarzan centenary celebrations in 2012. 

Aimed at nine-11+ readers, Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy follows a re-imagined Tarzan designed to appeal to a contemporary audience. Faber said he would be "edgier, untamed and feral while remaining the iconic hero, raised by apes and protector of the wild. However, living in the 21st century Tarzan has more perils to face than during his original conception: warring guerrillas, poaching of endangered animals, illegal logging and the decline of the environment to name just a few". 

The original characters will remain, albeit in a slightly different form: Jane is a 14-year-old girl, used to "technology and civilisation", while Robert Canler is a runaway with a mysterious past, who sees Jane as a replacement sister; the cannibal tribes have been replaced by rebel guerrillas.

James Sullos, president of Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc,: "Our desire to bring the Tarzan legend into the 21st century matches perfectly with Andy Briggs's imagination and talent for adding adventure and suspense to the Greystoke legacy.  We are anxiously awaiting the first instalment."

From Broadway to Netherlands to Sweden to Germany
and now back to America:
TARZAN THE STAGE MUSICAL

Tuacahn's Red Rock Cliffs
Tarzan On Stage in Utah | www.tuacahn.org  |  www.tuacahn.org/tarzan.php
June 07 - October 15, 2010 | Tuacahn Ampitheater | 1100 Tuacahn Drive, Ivins

The jungle comes to life in the desert as Tuacahn Amphitheatre presents the regional premiere of Tarzan -- the Broadway musical based on the popular 1999 Disney film and beloved story by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan features the songs from Disney's film as well as nine new songs written specifically for the Broadway production. Playing during the summer and fall every Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

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See our ERBzine 2759 Feature: Tarzan On Stage in Utah www.erbzine.com/mag27/2759.html

Bryan Cranston Talks John Carter
ComingSoon.net Interview Excerpt ~ June 9, 2010
CS: And then you've got Andrew Stanton's "John Carter of Mars."
Cranston: "John Carter of Mars" – Another fantastically-written film. This is based on the book "Princess of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burrows, which he started writing way back before "Tarzan" and wrote eleven novels following the exploits of John Carter, who's kind of a rebel from Virginia during the Civil War time. My character is a Northern Colonel and wants to and needs to recruit him into the cavalry of the northern army to help settle the Arizona territories because we're having tremendous difficulties with the Indians. He refuses and I keep grabbing him and forcing him to come into the fold. There's a whole bunch of exploits and he goes to Mars. He finds a portal to Mars, which is fascinating. Then the story takes places on Mars with all the creatures that Disney is so wonderfully and incredibly expert at creating, and then it also takes place back in the American Civil War time.

75 long-lost silent movies being returned to US
Yahoo! News ~ June 8, 2010
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A cache of 75 long-lost silent films uncovered in the New Zealand Film Archive vault is being sent back to the United States to be restored. New Zealand Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Christopher Finlayson said the find is important as there are no prints of the films remaining in the U.S. "These important films will be preserved and made available to both U.S. and New Zealand audiences to enjoy," he told The New Zealand Herald newspaper Tuesday.

Tarzan Returns to the Silver Screen 
December 15, 2006 
LOS ANGELES -- Warner Bros. studio is teaming up with U.S. producer Jerry Weintraub to bring Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan back to the big screen. Director Guillermo del Toro is currently in negotiations for the new Tarzan flick, the Daily Variety reported Friday. 

Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) grew up reading Spanish-language translations of Burroughs' books and feels that the classic themes are still compelling, the trade paper reported. Del Toro believes that there is new ground to cover in the Tarzan mythology by turning back to the original Burroughs prose. 

Extras needed for Disney Feature, "John Carter of Mars" Central Utah
Posted by crazeagency on Saturday, May 29, 2010 
Production is need of Extras to play warriors on John Carter of Mars. This will shoot in Hanksville, Utah. They need Dark Haired, Tan skinned Men and Women, Who are fit and in Good Shape.  Women who are 5'6 to 5'10, Men 5'10-6'4, 
They need you for Tuesday, June 1, Wich will be a fitting day, Pay is $101.50, Wed. and Thurs., June 2 and 3 for shoot days, Pay will be 150.00 per day. 

Set Photos From John Carter Of Mars! 
The movie has been kept very tightly under wraps but some pictures have finally emerged from Utah!
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These comments were also sent in by the person taking the photos: 

"The Stonehenge thing is a building made from wood and foam that was shot onto outside then formed. They are filming at the lake also using some log rafts for something. Seen a 4-wheeler with a saddle mounted about 10ft in air they must be going to CGI some animal under it. They have taken over Big Water. Rented about 10 buildings for special fx and storing props. The monkey arena is made from containers that are stacked and a green screen hung from tops."

A local casting call asked for "good-looking, dark-haired, tan people ages 18-35 yrs old Male and Female." And the call requests that all extras turn in pictures that show off their figure - in fact they suggest the guys to just turn in shirtless pics altogether. 

From: io9.com
Earth's Mightiest Fansites
See more at: www.johncartermovie.com

John Carter Of Mars - Bones Made By Orlandi
Orlandi Statuary ~  May 03, 2010
"John Carter of Mars is a movie set for release in 2012. Orlandi was contacted to make the bones for a fight scene where saber tooth tiger bones are spread across a desert. We received the models from the film company, then molded the skulls, casting a few hundred in total. We think it is being filmed in part of a Utah desert."

TARZAN SWINGS THROUGH PARIS Jim Sullos, president of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., attended the Kazachok Licensing Show in Paris from April 6 to the 11th. Jim and ERB, Inc. archivist, Cathy Wilbanks, joined licensing agent, Najoua Arabesque, at their popular display booth shown in the photos below. 

As usual, Tarzan and all the other works of the Master of Fantasy Adventure generated lots excitement. 

See photos below and of all the exhibits HERE

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A  New Eco-Hero for the PlayStation Generation 
as Tarzan Returns to his Roots In new books

London, April 2010. History is littered with examples of brands trying to reinvent themselves to appeal to a new generation, but for one of literature’s most successful franchises, all that’s required is a return to its roots – literally.

Since he first swung onto the world stage in 1912 the bare-chested, savage yet principled character of Tarzan has struck a chord with generation after generation as he fights to protect the jungle, its resources and its inhabitants. Now, almost a hundred years later, a partnership between the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate and one of Britain’s hottest writers is set to bring Tarzan the Eco Warrior to the PlayStation generation, with a new series of Tarzan novels.

“We’ve seen plenty of examples of literary brands being reinvented by new writers anxious to engage new young audiences, but it can be dangerous territory” said branding expert KD Adamson. “However, in the case of Tarzan there’s no search for a new angle: he’s been saving the planet for nearly a hundred years. On this occasion it’s a question of the audience catching up with Tarzan rather than the other way around.”

The power of a global brand isn’t an absolute guarantee of success and before committing to the new series, the first of which ‘Tarzan, The Greystoke Legacy’ is set to appear in 2011, the Edgar Rice Burroughs Estate looked carefully for an author who could match the vivid storytelling which originally brought Tarzan to life and inspired millions including environmentalist Jane Goodall.

Andy Briggs, whose credits include the highly successful ‘Hero.com and Villain.net’ book series, now in negotiation for an animated TV series, and a string of scriptwriting credits for the likes of Disney and Paramount Pictures has already been involved with iconic franchises such as Highlander and Judge Dredd. For him, the character of Tarzan and his beliefs are ripe for re-booting. Tarzan remains the iconic hero, the man raised by apes and protector of the wild but in the 21st century he is edgier and more feral. 

“Tarzan has more perils to face now: warring rebels, poaching of endangered animals, illegal logging and the decline of the environment are all issues that resonate with younger audiences” explains Andy. “He combines untamed savagery and power with a deep morality and love for the environment which genuinely speaks to them, as does the perennial love story of Tarzan and Jane, although Jane now carries an iPod.”

The combination of strong writing, a global icon and the up-coming Tarzan centenary provide the perfect springboard for what looks likely to be a major series of books with an inevitable cross-over to film and merchandising. It is a combination which Julian Friedmann, agent to both Andy Briggs and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. believes has all the right ingredients.

“Avatar was a huge movie but the story behind it was really about respecting and protecting indigenous species and communities at the expense of profit, and those are Tarzan’s brand values in a nutshell” said Julian Friedmann. “We will have the first chapters ready shortly and will be presenting them to publishers at the London Book Fair in a couple of week’s time.”

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Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. 

A family-owned corporation, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. has been in existence since 1923 and is located in Tarzana California. Both the corporation and the town in which it resides, Tarzana, owe their existence to the imaginative talent and business acumen of one man, Edgar Rice Burroughs who by the time of his death in 1950 had penned almost 70 novels and over 40 short stories. There is not a facet of popular culture which Tarzan has not explored at one time or another during the past eighty-some years, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. continues to oversee the marketing of Mr. Burroughs' ever-popular creations bringing Tarzan to new generations and audiences worldwide as it prepares for the literary centenary of the ‘ape-man’ in 2012. 
www.tarzan.org 

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The Blake Friedmann Literary, Film & TV Agency

The Blake Friedmann Literary, Film & TV Agency is based in London UK with a strong network of sub-agents worldwide and currently represents over 200 book, film and TV writers and directors across the globe including Peter James, Sheila O’Flanaghan, Barbara Erskine,  Tess Stimson,  Gilbert Adair,  Deon Meyer, Lawrence Norfolk, Roger Spottiswoode and Andy Briggs. The agency continues to be guided by the founders Carole Blake and Julian Friedmann who  are well known and respected within the industry and, together with their ten colleagues, work closely with clients through the respective editorial, contractual, and marketing processes that lead to publication, or broadcast or cinema release.  Both Carole and Julian write, speak and comment widely on publishing, film and television. www.blakefriedmann.co.uk 

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 Press and Media enquiries: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc & Blake Friedmann Literary, Film & TV Agency
Stark Moore Macmillan PR (London UK)
T: + 44 (0)20 7127 4262
tarzan@starkmooremacmillan.com
www.starkmooremacmillan.com

 After Avatar, bollywood to give us Tarzan
Indiainfo ~ April 20, 2010

Even as Hollywood continues to flood the theatres with 3D films like Avatar and Clash of the Titans, Bollywood is catching up. B Subhash the director of famous movies like ‘Disco Dancer’ (1982), ‘Dance Dance’ (1987) is now aiming to bring back Tarzan to the screen and in 3D! 

He has directed and produced the Adventures of Tarzan which was released in 1985 to a great response and now he intends to go back to the same story and do it all over again. “I have always tried making new and different films and right now is the era of 3D. Hence I thought of making an adventurous 3D movie and what could be better than Tarzan! You can feel the animals moving around you the adventure and the thrill hunting you, it will take you to the adventurous ride along with Tarzan,” says the producer. He informs that the film will also have some animated action scenes with high definition VFX. 

Mark Strong Talks 'John Carter Of Mars' (excerpt)
Cinematical ~ April 7, 2010 
Cinematical: How has your experience been on John Carter of Mars?
Strong: It's an amazing experience. It's proving to be a fascinating jigsaw, and each moment, each line almost, fits into this vast plan that Andrew has, and he's been working on it for years. You have to have faith; you have to go in and do your stuff, because your piece of the jigsaw allows him to complete the puzzle, so I'm really enjoying it. It's a fascinating process, and I've still got quite a lot to go I'm filming for three months, the whole of March and then I've got a week or two in April, and then I'm out to Utah for a few days. So there's still plenty to go. We're right in the middle of it, but I find it fascinating. Last week I was performing in a massive warehouse with 400 extras on this floating platform in the middle of a battle between two opposing tribes, and the sequence took two or three weeks for an incredible four-and-a-half-minute sequence. It's amazing. 

Films that might go 3D
MTV ~ April 3, 2010
Recent Taylor Kitsch photo
"John Carter of Mars": Pixar and Disney have made bold moves into 3-D, but "John Carter" director (and Pixar vet) Andrew Stanton decided against shooting with 3-D cameras. While there's been no report that the film might be converted during post-production, that option remains a plausible one. 

The film's fantastical alien setting — not to mention its combination of CG animation and live-action — seems tailor-made for presentation in 3-D. And then there's the matter of the premium ticket price Disney could charge for a 3-D presentation. We'll see if economics outweigh artistry on this one.

Thomas Hayden Church, The Authentic Man
(Interview Excerpts)
Film School Rejects  ~ April 2, 2010
FSR: You mentioned wanting to do projects that are a challenge, and a lot of our readers are interested in Andrew Stanton movie and John Carter of Mars. I am interested in what kind of challenge that presents for you and. Are you done shooting on that?

No. Not even close. I have to go back here pretty quick in the next few weeks, and then all the rest of April, May, and a good chunk of June. Then it is going to be wrapped, and then there will be, like… you know, I will have post-production, motion capture stuff.

You know, in these big movies, my experience in Spider-Man 3, as they get along in the animation stuff, you do sort of…there is a good chance you will have to reshoot some stuff or some additional photography. The movie doesn’t come out until May of 2012, and I anticipate probably being involved in it up until it comes out. That’s the way it was for Spider-Man 3.

FSR: What was it that really drew you to that project in particular?

Andrew Stanton. I didn’t know anything about it and he wrote the part for me and was very straightforward. The script came to me a year ago, and I read it, and then they called me and they were like, “He really wants to talk to you.” And he was up…I don’t know if it is Marin County or wherever. His offices were at Pixar. And, you know, we had a great conversation about it and he was so flattering in telling me that he had written it for me. And then we talked again a little while later in the summer.

And, you know, just the idea of doing it was very appealing to me, because Andrew is an amazing guy. He couldn’t be more approachable, more funny, more intelligent, more successful. I mean he is just crazy successful. And the fact that I was talking to him on the phone about a character that he had written for me a week or maybe two weeks after he had won two Academy Awards, it was astounding to me that this guy was calling me, and was like, “Hey, I wrote this part for you.” And coming off of winning two Academy Awards for Wall-E. You know, it just was astounding.

And you gotta pay attention to those moments in your life. And we just kept talking and talking, and then I signed on. And then I started in January in England. I was over there for a couple of weeks. And then I had some time off. And then I go back, like I said, in a few weeks, and then I am on it for a while. Thank you. I say this without hesitation. I think it is going to be pretty huge.

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NY Mag.com ~ April 2, 2010
Do you have a sense yet of the look of the film, since technological questions were at the heart of so many of its fitful starts?

The only comparison I can make is Avatar. It’s live-action, CGI, and motion capture — all that stuff. I didn’t realize how excited people were about this movie, and that it’s been around for like 80 years — somebody was telling me they tried to mount the first production in 1930 or something. But it’s going to be fascinating, it really is. They don’t say don’t talk at all about it, but I want to be political. I’ll say this: My character is a badass warrior. There are tribes, and in my tribe he’s a very ferocious individual. 

Revenue and profits down at Pinewood Shepperton
guardian.co.uk ~ April 1, 2010
Warner built the set for Clash of the Titans at Longcross Studios, a former tank testing site in Surrey. MAP  The biggest shed at Longcross is comparable in size with Pinewood's flagship 007 stage, but costs 80% less to hire, though the producer has to bring all the fixtures, fittings and even the electricity.

Disney has now taken over Longcross to construct the enormous steel sets for its sci-fi adventure John Carter of Mars, which it hopes will become a franchise. It is also using a vast former Woolworths warehouse in Greenford.

LONGCROSS

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. vigorously enforces and defends its rights in the Tarzan character and stories.  In 2003, for example, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the trial court's decision in ERB's favor that two Tarzan books published in 1972 and 1976 illustrated by artist Burne Hogarth are works for hire owned by ERB, notwithstanding erroneous registrations stating that Hogarth was the author of the works.

The district court initially sanctioned ERB's adversaries and their counsel, though the court later vacated the sanctions on the condition that ERB be reimbursed for certain of its attorneys' fees that had been the subject of the sanctions motion.