'John Carter' at D23: Taylor Kitsch and Andrew Stanton Believe in Life on Another Planet (Video)

John Carter, starring Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights), follows a former Confederate captain who is mysteriously transported to Mars, and must resolve a conflict between warring nations.

Kitsch and the film’s director, Andrew Stanton, talked to The Hollywood Reporter at the D23 Expo about the pressures of  living up to the much-loved series on which the film is based, the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

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“It’s by far the most challenging gig I’ve ever had in my life,” said Kitsch. “It’s the most rewarding as well.”

By the looks of the trailer, the film, which Disney will release on March 9, 2012, takes place in a fantastic Mars, which Stanton told THR was created by going to locations in the U.S. that has similar terrain.

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“What was fun is that we wanted to make it really location based,” said Stanton, who had previously directed Pixar’s Wall-E and Finding Nemo. “So we went out to these really extreme desert locations, and you really didn’t have to imagine anything.”

“People who actually study what it would be like to colonize there actually go to certain parts of Utah, so there was a one-to-one relationship between what we were doing and what it might be like,” said Stanton.

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When asked by THR if they can imagine that there is or will someday be life on another planet like in the film, both Kitsch and Stanton agreed that they think there will be. 

“I, for one, welcome our alien overlords. I just want that on record.” said Stanton, looking directly into the camera. 

“Me too. We’re friendly,” said Kitsch.