There are no simple stories in Hollywood.
Movie narratives are larger than life and then some. They often start out as simple jigsaw puzzles before twisting into variegated Rubik's cubes, winding through troves of characters and maze-like subplots. But the same can and should be said of the stories behind these movies, since the tortuous production histories of big budget blockbusters are just as revealing (nay, more revealing!) than any pre-show trailer or Entertainment Tonight insider special.
John Carter, is a fantastic new addition to the Hollywood compendium of behind-the-scenes chaos. In fact, this tale of Martian civil war that went through a great number of iterations and cycles in production Hell, is the epitome of movie-making mayhem.
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2012.