John Carter of Mars


When Civil War veteran John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) mysteriously awakes on the surface of Mars — also called Barsoom — he little expects the adventure that awaits him.

Carter reluctantly becomes embroiled in an epic conflict among the red planet’s inhabitants, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins).

As Barsoom is poised on the brink of collapse, war-weary Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that everyone’s fate is in his hands.

Director: Andrew Stanton

Production Designer: Nathan Crowley

Studio: Disney

Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Defoe & Samantha Morton

Locations: London, UK & USA

Location Brief: Hunting for Space: Finding a Home for the Palace of Light Set

When it came time to build the Palace of Light set, the production team faced an unexpected challenge — there was simply no available studio space in the UK for the foreseeable future. That’s when I was tasked with finding an alternative.

The brief was demanding:

  • At least 150,000 square feet of space
  • Ceiling height of 45 feet or more
  • Close enough to Central London or the Home Counties for easy access
  • Available on a 7-month lease
  • Capable of supporting around 1,000 people working on set each day

Around that time, Woolworths had recently gone into administration, and their West London distribution warehouse was being stripped out and refurbished. The warehouse was vast, industrial, and — crucially — potentially available for short-term lease while they searched for a long-term tenant.

Though unconventional, this space ticked many boxes. The challenge was to evaluate whether it could be adapted to meet the logistical needs of a major film production — transforming a commercial warehouse into a bustling film studio.

This experience was a perfect example of how location scouting isn’t just about beautiful scenery; sometimes it’s about creative problem-solving and turning unexpected places into cinematic magic.

Here are some of my initial location scout photo’s of the warehouse:

Greenford Warehouse

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A few months later and we were in building the sets:

Here is the final ‘Palace of Light’ as seen in the film:

Film Trailer:

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