There was even a debunked rumorGhosts of Marswas almost the thirdEscape From… movie.
Sadly, by the time his career began in the 1970s, the genre was all but dead.
Hawks himself helmed a wholeRio Bravotrilogy, withEl DoradoandRio Loboremixing the same core themes and story beats.
Courtney Love was originally cast as Ballard inGhosts of Marsbut left after getting injured during rehearsals.
Michelle Yeoh and Famke Janssen were considered for the role before Natasha Henstridge was cast.
Cube’s unhappiness with the project feels apparent in his aloof and oddly sullen performance too.
Custom image by Milica Djordjevic
While Carpenter wanted Statham to play Williams, the studio didn’t see it that way.
In one sense,Ghosts of Marsfeels about as close as Carpenter ever got to a true Western.
All that was missing were some horses and the heroes wielding six-shooters.
Ghosts of Mars is a science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter. Set in 2176 on a colonized Mars, the story follows police officers led by Melanie Ballard (Natasha Henstridge) who are tasked with transporting a dangerous prisoner, Desolation Williams (Ice Cube). They soon discover that the mining operations have unearthed an ancient Martian civilization, leading to a deadly confrontation with spirit-possessed colonists.
John Carpenter editedAssault on Precinct 13under the pseudonym “John T. This is the name of John Wayne’s sheriff inRio Bravo.
The film itself is a nostalgic but painfully 2000s-era action flick, complete withThe Matrix-inspired setpieces.
Statham has largely steered clear of horror and sci-fi in the years since too.
That said, hisMegduology ticks both genre boxes and feels better suited to his particular skill sets.
Rio Bravo is a Western film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne and Dean Martin.
Rio Bravo is a Western film directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne and Dean Martin. The 1959 release sees Wayne playing a local sheriff that must hold a local criminal in jail until a U.S. Marshall can arrive to pick him up.
