John Carter of Mars is a project we’ve been talking about here at Cinema Blend since 2004, and those who are excited about it may be beginning to believe that the movie will never happen. But we’ve known for a while that Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton is involved in some way, shape or form with the movie, and as he’s on a press tour to promote Wall-E, he’s spilling a few beans about what the project will entail.

The biggest scoop, over at SciFi.com, is that the movie may not be animated, even though it’s in development at Pixar, the undisputed best studio in the animation business. Responding to a question about whether the movie would be live-action, animated or a combo of the two, Stanton said, “Everybody's asking that, and we are not going to make that decision for about a year.” While confirming for the first time that he is involved with the film, Stanton refused to admit whether or not he would be directing as well. “That's all we're doing right now, is just writing it,” he said of his work with collaborator Mark Andrews.

I know Josh has some trepidation about seeing his beloved series of books—by Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs—turned into a watered-down, kid-friendly version. But really, is there anyone more trustworthy than Andrew Stanton? If making Finding Nemo and the bound-to-be-great Wall-E isn’t enough to earn a little faith, I don’t know what is. Who knows if or when John Carter will make its way out of development hell, but when it does, Stanton will surely make it something worth seeing. Even if it doesn’t involve the half-naked alien babes I’ve been hearing so much about.