AVATAR (Now w/ Worldwide Eyeball Rape)

[Eric G]

Im back from holidays! Hello to all! Seasons Greetings and all that crap. Now lets get back into it;
Until now, James Cameron's next flick was known to all as Project 880. Most were under the impression that this was his adaption of Battle Angel Alita, but if JoBlo is correct - and it looks like they are - it is a much older script that is being resurrected; Avatar.

Avatar was supposed to be his follow-up to Titanic, and it was to feature a cast of dozens of CGI characters. If the early rumours on his 200 page Avatar scriptment are correct, the movie is a love story set against an interplanetary war where no one is human.

And no, the title is not the little picture you have next to your handle on chat boards, but something genetically engineered.

[burlivesleftnut]

I read the scriptment ages ago. I think Cameron is making a mistake. This would have been insanely cool pre-Matrix, but now... well it seems like a dull premise.

[buster00]

I read the scriptment ages ago. I think Cameron is making a mistake. This would have been insanely cool pre-Matrix, but now... well it seems like a dull premise.

Furthermore, STRIPED GREY KITTEN!

[Cpt Kirks 2pay]

His film won't be as good as my Avatar, I tell ya that!

Had to be done, sorry.


Actually I'm not. I'm Captain Kirk, I can do anything I want.

[Eric G]

How I missed thee burl.
And nothing is too late for Cameron. He will make a multi million dollar spectacle, and his name alone will bring in enough money to warrant the film being made.

[burlivesleftnut]

Don't be so sure. Kids today don't know who this guy is.

[darthevilbob]

I think he mowed my lawn once..

[Eric G]

Don't be so sure. Kids today don't know who this guy is.

Kids!? pfft! Bunch of misfits.

[Ribbons]

Don't be so sure. Kids today don't know who this guy is.

All you have to do is put "From the director of Aliens of the Deep" in the promos somewhere and you're set.

[burlivesleftnut]

Yes you would be set to keep people away from the the theater.

[Ribbons]

[bastard_robo]

WHat! NO!!!!

THIS HAS TO BE A LIE!!!

I WAS PROMISED BATTLE ANGEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I WANT MY FAVORIT ANIME TO BE TURND INTO A STROKE JOB ON SCREEN BY CAMERON!!!

[Doc Holliday]

I'm just glad he's back into actually making movies. All the Blah about 3-D and so on is great...but that cart moves better when its BEHIND a horse...

[Al Shut]

If it's sci-fi without humans I'm going to see it, no matter how it looks or what it's about. I've been waiting for a mpvie like this for ages.

[ThisIsTheGirl]

Don't be so sure. Kids today don't know who this guy is.

But, but-- Mr Thruster....... Kids don't greenlight movies. Suited money-men behind big desks do that. And when they hear the name "Jim Cameron", they think "highest-grossing movie of all time".

Then their eyes glaze over a little, and they sign the form which gives the project a greenlight.

[Gheorghe Zamfir]

Whichever project Cameron moves on it seems he's very intent on doing something with CGI rendered actor. I'm kinda hoping for Battle Angel myself, course knowing nothing about Avatar I suppose that's natural. Just get rolling on something though Cameron, you've been on the bench too long already!

[Doc Holliday]

Its a familiar Cameron MO though...make a film that blows your balls to bits....then get on the offensive..shout at everyone til the Hollywood machine goes away. Then, just when he falls out of the everyday consciousness he picks something up that everyone is sure will fail and blows our balls to bits all over again.

Remember Aliens at the time? Most people wrote it off - nowhere near as many sequels got made back then - and very few of a movie with the impact that the original ALIEN had had. Heh - didn't hear too much from those peeps after its release eh? Replacing well timed suspense with guns guns and more guns. It was sacriligous at the time, believe it or not.

And Titanic! We knew how it ended...it was effectively just a 3 hour piece of melodrama is all. And who before THAT films release gave Cameron credit for being able to shoot a melodrama? And do you know what - I've rewatched that movie plenty - and it is without a shadow of a doubt a bad bad movie. Yet it made all that money....I doubt that would be the case in most anybody else's hands. Cameron pulls shit out bags that others didn't even know was in there.

Point being, show caution by all means...but get ready to have your balls blown to bits all over again - dude knows how to make a movie, whatever one he does next.

[Peven]

aside from kids' association with the term "avatar" as those little pics we use as personal logos, there is an animated series called "Avatar" that is well established in the consciousness of a lot of kids, and to be honest, thats exactly what came to my mind when i saw this thread heading. maybe Cameron has been out of touch with what has been going on in the general population's media experience for too long? i hope not.

[Chairman Kaga]

The idea of a film of all CG nonhumans sounds intriguing.

[TonyWilson]

The more huge budget Space Epics the better I say. Soon we will see the Culture novels on screen and that can only be a very good thing.

[Seppuku]

Like I mentioned in your Banks' thread, some major studio HAS optioned State of Art. Which story they were gunning for I'm not sure.

A Culture movie would be insane though, it would automatically be one of the best movies ever made. With Iain M Banks' quirky Scottish humour and eerie sense of elegy, and one hell of a budget, well how could it not be great? No fucking way would it sell though (which is why I'm doubtful they'll end up getting made, but who knows? the head honchos at the studios must be running out of material by now), if fan-boys got bored during one of Portman and Haydensen's love-scenes in Episode II/III, well they'd positively slip into a coma if a Banks book did get made. I vote that they adapt Excession, Player of Games or make a Two-Parter out of Use of Weapons (a great dark read for anyone who's interested).

[Ribbons]

The scriptment for Avatar was written long before the TV show "Avatar" made its debut. I doubt that Cameron will change the title in order to not confuse a relative handful of kids and their parents.

[Rindain]

I wonder why Harry, Moriarty or Quint haven't commented on this story yet? It seems like pretty big news for them to ignore--if it's true, that is. If it isn't true, I'd be pretty suprised..there is just so much evidence, i.e. the near identical character descriptions found in the casting call and Cameron's scriptment, Lightstorm forcing sites to take down the scriptment, avatarmovie.com being registered to James Cameron's law firm---the list goes on.

I'm just wondering what AICN's take on this is?

[RogueScribner]

I read the scriptment ages ago. I think Cameron is making a mistake. This would have been insanely cool pre-Matrix, but now... well it seems like a dull premise.

I think if anyone can trump the Wachowskis, it's Cameron.

Remember Aliens at the time? Most people wrote it off - nowhere near as many sequels got made back then - and very few of a movie with the impact that the original ALIEN had had.

What are you talking about? Hollywood has always been sequel crazy, especially in the '80s.

[Dashing Roger]

There was a script or treatment for Avatar floating around somewhere, may have been posted under the script section at JoBlo. Anyone know anything?

[MasterWhedon]

A poster in the Flushed Away TB posted THIS LINK to a Cached file containing Cameron's old treatment for Avatar.

According to Mori, Cameron's been tracking down old copies of this and destroying it, so be warned. It you read this, James Cameron will hunt you down and kill your children.

[Eric G]

A poster in the Flushed Away TB posted THIS LINK to a Cached file containing Cameron's old treatment for Avatar.

According to Mori, Cameron's been tracking down old copies of this and destroying it, so be warned. It you read this, James Cameron will hunt you down and kill your children.

But he will leave me alone right?

[MasterWhedon]

MasterWhedon: "You really think any of us are going to make it out of this?"
Eric G: "Well, I might..."


Now where have I heard that before?

[Ribbons]

MasterWhedon: "You really think any of us are going to make it out of this?"
Eric G: "Well, I might..."


Now where have I heard that before?

It was probably in some crappy movie no one else has heard of.

[MasterWhedon]

It was probably in some crappy movie no one else has heard of.

Urge... to... kill... rising...

[havocSchultz]

just a bit of an update on this - and other james cameron stuff - Harry on the main page has an interview he did with cameron posted that spills some good appetite whetting info on 880 and Battle Angel...

check the interview out here

[jgraphix]

Wow...that is an interesting read.. sounds like we're going to experience a movie geeks wet dream soon...I can't friggin wait!

[MasterWhedon]

Damn you, H@rry!! Don't you tape ALL of your conversations?!!

Or is that just me?

[havocSchultz]

damn straight! i'm pumped that cameron is (hopefully) planning Alita as a trilogy... i can't wait to find out exactely which one (between 880 and alita) we're gonna get first...

[jgraphix]

my bet would be on Alita...because if he does do a trilogy, he's going to wanna get the first one out there a.s.a.p. But they will probably be released relatively close to each other if he plans on doing both at the same time.

[Nachokoolaid]

my bet would be on Alita...because if he does do a trilogy, he's going to wanna get the first one out there a.s.a.p. But they will probably be released relatively close to each other if he plans on doing both at the same time.

I disagree. I think it wil be Avatar because he'll want to work out all the quirks with the technology on a one shot film before moving on to a trilogy. This will help the trilogy flow together better.

The only thing that could perhaps stop Avatar from being first is how serious Cameron is about making the Avatar MMO game work. It may take a while to get that off the ground, so he might delay Avatar to make the whole gaming/film experience more potent.

[jgraphix]

Only time will tell.....

[Eric G]

Im not hoping for much....but I hope we see Avatar, Alita and Battle Angel done by Cameron in time.....

[Pudie]

A poster in the Flushed Away TB posted THIS LINK to a Cached file containing Cameron's old treatment for Avatar.

According to Mori, Cameron's been tracking down old copies of this and destroying it, so be warned. It you read this, James Cameron will hunt you down and kill your children.

this is dead.

Anyone else have it?

[havocSchultz]

Budgetted at $315 Million & All Digital

Main page has the story...

[doglips]

Re-posted from another Avatar Thread -

Was shocked to not find an Avatar thread.

Anyway, heres an update:

Cameron's Avatar Pushed Back to 2009
Source: The Independent, CHUD December 22, 2006


Titanic director James Cameron talked to The Independent about his new feature, Avatar, which he says will now hit theaters the summer of 2009 (it was previously scheduled for summer 2008). Here are several clips from the interview:

"Avatar is a very ambitious sci-fi movie." The director's enthusiasm is evident in his voice. "It's a futuristic tale set on a planet 200 years hence. It's an old-fashioned jungle adventure with an environmental conscience. It aspires to a mythic level of storytelling."

"The film requires me to create an entirely new alien culture and language, and for that I want 'photo-real' CGI characters. Sophisticated enough 'performance-capture' animation technology is only coming on stream now. I've spent the last 14 months doing performance-capture work - the actor performs the character and then we animate it.

"I always want to find something mentally engaging. I'll spend many months completing the special effects on Avatar, and it will not be released until the summer of 2009. It's quite a challenge - and for that reason, I embrace it."

In Avatar, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.

It's an old-fashioned jungle adventure [...] The film requires me to create an entirely new alien culture and language [...] I'll spend many months completing the special effects on [my] Avatar [...] a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.

A 'Zone' biopic perhaps?

That sounds pretty cool, all though when ever I hear avatar these days I think of Nick toons the last airbender series.

Shame I can't find any pics floating around...

Oh Boba... this is my favourite new cartoon of '06.

I can't be bothered writing the whole description, so read the below from TV.com

In a lost age, the world is divided into four nations: the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads. Within each nation, there is a remarkable order of men and women called the "benders" who can learn to harness their inborn talent and manipulate their native element. Bending is a powerful form combining martial art and elemental magic. In each generation, only one bender is solely capable of controlling all four elements. That bender is the Avatar.

It's an east meets west US cartoon that is aimed at early teens, so when you watch it expect some younger humour and the like. I enjoy it so much because it reminds me of the excitement I felt when I watched shows like Voltron and Pizza Cats as a kid. It uses the ever-constant Jap-epic plot line (save the world, you are the chosen one although you don't want to be... etc), so the story keeps building from ep to ep, series to series.

I can imagine that Nick are planning to make a movie or two about is as well. It would easily cross formats and make them a bucket load of cash at the same time.

Nickelodeon are promoting the hell out of it, making it their 'big hitter' of the season. There’s card games, video games, dvds, toys…. Everything a sly marketing exec can think of.

It's currently in season 2, and I'm waiting for season 3 to start soon.

[MonkeyM666]

ahhhhh... I wondered what was happening.

Your in the zone today with reposts thedoglippedone...

(when I say in the zone, I mean in the zone, not the zone.... ahhh, forget it )

[silentbobafett]

MonkeyM666: Thanks for the lowdown - it does sound good except for the word: BENDER!

And I'ms ure its just me being chidlish but for the alst 26 years I've known the word Bender as a pisstake word.

I don't know if I could watch somethign where the heroes are known as Benders!

Any other Brits here feel like this?

[MonkeyM666]

Now that would be a show. People going around, getting waisted and controlling the elements. lol... the fun that could be had.


Here's someone useing their 'water bending' powers.

[Fried Gold]

I wonder what the logic is behind spending several years & several millions developing "photo-real CGI characters" when we already have photo-real people.

[MonkeyM666]

I was wondering what they actually ment by that. Mind you if the avatar goes crazy it would be easier to show off the cool shit he does with a CG character rather then a guy. Maybe... is there anywhere you can see some 'photo-real' characters online?

[dimnix]

from what I understand, the CG characters are the alien race.

It's not an all mocap movie, but the aliens certainly will be done in that way.

Really looking forward to this.

[Fried Gold]

The Flight of the Osiris came fairly close. Still slighty in the uncanny valley though.

I guess Cameron wants the motion of the characters to come in line with the look and texture.

[MonkeyM666]

Hummm.... we'll if that's what he wants to do. So my next question (and this may have already been answered) Is it a CGI movie or live action with these photo-real characters in it? I wonder how one of those characters will look against against gods own work?

[dimnix]

I first heard that this was an all mocap thing.

But then the word changed. There'd be actors on sets. I take this to mean the humans are real, and they'll builld as much physical set as possible.

Everything else, probably CG or mocap.