'John Carter of Mars' set for 2012 Disney announces.

Disney released the news it's planning 'John Carter of Mars', their first movie based on the 'Barsoom' sci-fi book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs for a March 9, 2012 release.

Edgar Rice Burroughs was born in 1875, but didn’t start writing until 1912. He was 37 years of age and worked selling pencil sharpeners when he wrote a story called 'Under the moons of Mars' which found it’s way into the popular pulp 'All-Story Magazine'. It ended up being the first novel in his ‘John Carter’ sci-fi series and was called ‘A Princess of Mars’ when it was published as a novel in 1917 by A.C. McClurg.

By that time, Burroughs was already famous for another character he had created with a story set in the African jungle: 'Tarzan of the Apes' also ran in ‘All Story magazine’ in 1912, but was novelised three years before his John Carter story, in 1914.

Burroughs would publish 22 novels of 'Tarzan' during his lifetime, while the final one, the 23rd, saw print after his death in 1950. The John Carter series, known as the ‘Barsoom’series (as the inhabitants of Mars call their world) exists of 11 novels, published in different pulp magazines from 1912 until 1943.

The story of Burroughs' first sci-fi novel is about John Carter, a veteran from the American Civil War who is mysteriously transported to Mars. When he discovers he has super human powers there, he finds himself fighting yet again, amidst a war between the green skinned Tharks and the humanoid inhabitants of a dying planet.

Did you know that a large crater on Mars, with a diametre of 104 meters was named the 'Burroughs Crater' in honor of the writer? Check out the trailer below with a great theme song by Peter Gabriel! (You can hit the '360p' switch and watch in 720-1080p HD).