Will John Carter Go 3D? Will Pixar's 'Brave' Be Delayed Again?

While Andrew Stanton's John Carter of Mars was never envisioned as a 3D movie, I've been hearing a lot of rumbling in recent months that Walt Disney Pictures is pushing to release the film in 3D. I've even heard they've ordered some 3D tests to convince director Andrew Stanton that post conversion 3D isn't as horrible as the big baddies on the Internet say it is. Ironically, the film which launched the 3D craze,  James Cameron's Avatar, was actually very much inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs' original novels. So it is interesting that Avatar is now becoming a heavy influence on the big screen adaptation of the books.

As far as I can tell, nothing is yet set in stone in terms of releasing John Carter of Mars in 3D, but it sure is looking that way. Who knows if the growing public perception of post converted 3D (ie Bad 3D) will be enough to convince Disney. But one recent development has got me thinking... if John Carter does get released in 3D, what does this mean for Pixar's long in development, already-delayed, BraveThe Bear and the Bow (formerly titled )? Brave is set to hit theaters on June 15th 2012, while Disney just announced a June 8th 2012 release for John Carter of Mars.

Would Disney really release two films within a week of each other? Generally Disney likes to release one movie per month, but sometimes during the Summer seasons, they have released two movies with different audiences a couple weeks apart. But what about a week apart?

Also, if Carter does go 3D, would Disney release two 3D movies within a week of one another? The bottleneck of 3D screens have improved over the last year. James Cameron recently said that there are now 8000 international theaters equipped for 3D, compared to the 4,000 when Avatar was released. But I doubt that the same studio would release two big tentpole 3D movies within 7-days of each other.

My guess is that since Disney just set a new date for John Carter this week, we might be seeing another release date delay for Brenda Chapman's Brave. Of course, this is all just speculation at this point.

Previously:Brave is Pixar's first fairy tale, from acclaimed filmmaker/writer Brenda Chapman (The Prince of Egypt). Chapman began as an additional animation artist on Who Framed Roger Rabbit and contributed story for The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Fantasia 2000, Chicken Run and Cars.

A rugged and mythic Scotland is the setting for Pixar's action-adventure "The Bear and the Bow." The movie is being touted as Pixar's first fairy tale. The film stars Reese Witherspoon as the "impetuous, tangle-haired Merida, though a daughter of royalty, would prefer to make her mark as a great archer. A clash of wills with her mother compels Merida to make a reckless choice, which unleashes unintended peril on her father's kingdom and her mother's life. Merida struggles with the unpredictable forces of nature, magic and a dark, ancient curse to set things right. Director Brenda Chapman and the storytelling wizards of Pixar conjure humor, fantasy and excitement in this rich Highland tale."

Witherspoon's character is apparently the "brave" character referred to in the internal title, which now becomes the official title. A much better better title, in my opinion. The film originally had a Christmas 2011 release date, but has been pushed back to Summer: June 15th 2012.