It was revealed even before the 2012 Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation opened that Andrew Stanton and Michael Chabon were thinking big with the John Carter of Mars franchise. Already said to be in the scripting stage during the film’s press junket was a sequel tentatively titled John Carter and the Gods of Mars (named for the second book in the series). Tragically for fans of Stanton’s original, the project underperformed at the box office and, shortly thereafter, the studio acquired a different science fiction franchise and turned their attention to a galaxy far, far away.

Tonight, Stanton offers us a glimpse into what could have been with the below tweets and the bittersweet reminder that fans shouldn’t be on the look out for either John Carter and the Gods of Mars or John Carter, Warlord of Mars.

Had those sequels been hits, one imagines that Stanton may have gone on to explore all eleven volumes of Burroughs’ “Barsoom” series. The fourth book,is even a made-to-order spinoff/reboot! Stanton is keeping busy, however, and will soon be back in the animated world with a different kind of sequel, DisneyPixar’s Finding Dory . Look for it in theaters, June 17, 2016!