Avatar (James Cameron)

Much more at the link

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/columns/film_reporter_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=100280113 7

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

Cameron + alien planet = me at the theater on opening day.

'Nuff said.

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If I had to name one director as my favorite, it would be James Cameron. So Avatar could be godawful and I'll see it twice... on opening day.

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

The scriptment showed immense promise (and significant hard sci-fi, if not major originality), but needed some real polishing. That said, the movie would be visually awesome, and the story arc is fantastic.

I miss Cameron films. A lot.

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Me too. From the looks of things, he's got a lot on his plate, because I'm assuming he's still doing Battle Angel. Maybe after a long hiatus, we'll get a Cameron overload. If such a thing is possible.

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It's cool hearing Cameron excited about making fictional features again.

Here's another piece

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/artic...06/story.jhtml

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

Count me as eagerly awaiting this project!

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Remember a few years ago Cameron said the reason he dropped Spiderman was the fact he wanted to create & write his own stories, but yet he will adapt Battle Angel. I've always wanted Cameron to direct a Superhero movie. I always thought he would have been perfect for FF.

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

This bit (from the MTV piece) caught my eye:

THANK YOU, JIM!!!

Once or twice (Lord of the Rings or Back to the Future II/III or The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions) is fine; but when stylish-but-ultimately-hollow franchises like Pirates start doing it, it's total shark-jump time.

It's understandable that the major studios want to maximize the potential on their $200M-300M investment by "hooking" the audience into returning in another six months or year down the road, but the fact that Cameron is sticking to his guns on insisting upon separate, discrete films for each trilogy is creatively heartening.

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You didn´t like Aliens? That was his project, but not his creation from scratch. Expect the same for Battle Angel.

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I don't doubt it'll be interesting, but merely the box office potential of the thing. Will the masses go for a high concept sci-fi epic that's gonna be done entirely in CG? Will they connect with the characters? Either way, i'm definitely there.

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

Also, True Lies was a remake of a French film.

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If anyone has a link to the script, I'd love to see it.

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

I didn't think the whole thing was CG. Based on his strong reaction to LOTR, I don't see the guy not using actors, models, etc, supplemented by major computer work. Avatar will not be like Final Fantasy. It will have major CG characters, though.

As for connecting with the characters A lot of people bash Cameron for his writing. Sometimes his dialogue needs work, but the man can please an audience. In every one of his films, you get behind (and connect with) the characters. The Connors, Bud and Lindsay Brigman, his Ripley, the characters in True Lies. No need to even mention Titanic. The guy can tell stories. And Avatar is a hell of a story. The ending is crowd-pleasing beyond belief. Not quite Titanic-level...but close.

The guy can end his stories,
Chuck

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

Don't bet against Big Jim Cameron.

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Maybe I misread his comments in one of the articles linked to above. I thought he was saying the movie would be entirely CG (like Polar Express or the Monster House movie), but they'll still be using actors for motion capture.

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There are significant human characters in the script, which I attempted to explain to my wife last night though it's been two years since I read it.

I'd be interested in the quote, because I was on the understanding that Avatar would involve major CG characters (like the main one, like a romance between two), but not be a CG film. Though it would certainly rival or outstrip the SW prequels in digital storage requirements.

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In all seriousness, anything by Jim Cameron, I'm there. Hearing that it's going to be a sci-fi flick even better.

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Its a shame Christopher Reeve isn't alive. Maybe Cameron could have taylored the part for him.

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Interesting (and somewhat surprising) news from Avatar.

Click me

I recognize Digital Domain isn't up to the task of Avatar. Only ILM or WETA are. I had thought perhaps Jim would use Avatar to pull DD to that level. That said, I might be behind the times, with Jim no longer having any interest in DD.

I would have guessed ILM would get the nod, if for no other reason than Jim's (admittedly older) relationship with Muren. I understand Cameron was very impressed with LOTR, so this isn't shocking.

I am happy for WETA as this is a MUCH, MUCH bigger pull than Halo. But Cameron is a more, shall we say, intense taskmaster than PJ. Cameron always got cutting edge work from ILM (and then from DD). So WETA is going to have to raise their own bar to make this work.

Of note is that Jim talked about WETA and Joe Letteri quoted the project as Avatar.

Which is good. Because it's a great title

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Isn't Joe Letteri a former ILMer? I seem to remember that name during the time of the 'special editions'.

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I'm not 100% sure but I think he was at ILM during their early CG stuff (The Abyss, Jurassic Park) but I think he had left before the Star Wars SEs.

I understand why Cameron isn't going with Digital Domain (although I'm sure they'll do some work on the movie) but if you're at DD it's got be dejecting to have him choose Weta over his own company.

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Yeah, I just checked the doc on the Special Edition Laserdiscs, and he's a talking head on there.

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This is fun news! First, it must have driven the “ILM is better than WETA” crowd nuts! Second, do you remember when it was announced that WETA is going to do LOTR, some "people" had doubts and said that only ILM could do it! (ok, by some people I meant only one )

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

Chuck:

What makes this more interesting, to me, is that, by most accounts, ILM just recaptured the top of the "CG" hill with their work on Davey Jones. But, that aside, WETA has the better reputation (and awards to go along with it) based on their prior work, and they will do a great job on Avatar, no doubt.

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I don't think there is a top of the hill. I think plenty of us pretend there is...but there isn't ILM is technically superior to WETA, but ILM has one real scene of a CG character emoting (Yoda in ROTS...awesome work), whereas WETA has a longer and more varied track record of getting "performances" from fully CG characters. I was surprised at the announcement because of Cameron's experience with ILM. But in retrospect, WETA's resume is more in line with what Avatar needs (the major emotional investment, the acting).

I think both have near flawless reputations. Cameron might have picked WETA because he really responded to LOTR, or because PJ begged him, or because of my speculation in the previous paragraph It's not like ILM is crying, looking for work.

But when it comes to effects and directors...Cameron is *THE* guy. More than Lucas, Jackson, or even Spielberg, he'll squeeze the effects team like they've NEVER been squeezed WETA will have to hit new highs for him. Not just new highs for WETA...but totally new high points. That's working on a Jim Cameron film.

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Been reading the early scriptment of this one (thanks to one of our famous HTF brothers )...does look very interesting. I'm sure there have been numerous edits to this since it's inception. Cameron doing a sci-film carries an immense level of clout. Guess it could suck, but doubt it. He's just too good.

Really looking forward to this. I read over the thread again, but missed the release date? 2008?

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

Tim, I believe it's 2008.


I watched on old Superman:TAS show two nights ago, and it actually was an "AHA!!!!" moment. Big Jim would absolutely blow the doors off of a Green Lantern film. Power discovery, sci-fi, big setpieces, responsibility. All his hallmarks, plus visual freedom?!?! Gold.

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Cool. Thanks. There are some heavy hitters on the horizon for sure. Life after Star Wars is slowing becoming ok.

Re: Avatar (James Cameron)

Avatar Delayed Til 2009

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/f...cle2087309.ece