The mass fervor and passion over James Cameron’s Avatar has subsided in the years since release. I wonder if some of that can be attributed to 3D not catching on viably as a home video format. Once you’ve seen a film so shamelessly constructed around the format in which it was presented, revisiting it on a vanilla 2D flatscreen just doesn’t vibe the same way it did in the benefit of an IMAX theatre. But fans (we are talking about the highest grossing film ever) can take solace in the knowledge that further big-screen adventures in Pandora are approaching. In an interview with Play Goes Strong, the King of the World himself, James Cameron, had this to say on the subject of forging followups to such a popular film:
I’m working on Avatar 2 and Avatar 3… I’m deep into it and I’m living in Pandora right now. There is that start up torque where you feel it’s coming to you. Then you build up momentum. That’s when it gets fun. The characters talk and it’s writing itself. I’m almost there right now. It’s building fast.
But there’s immense risk in following up a film like Avatar, of which the writer/director seems aware:
It’s a little daunting because sequels are always tricky. You have to be surprising and stay ahead of audience anticipation. At the same time, you have to massage their feet with things that they know and love about the first film. I’ve walked that line in the past, so I’m not too worried about it. At the same time, I definitely have to deliver the goods…As for a release date that will be determined by when I get the script out. No pressure!
Does it become less daunting when it’s a film as average as Avatar? Technical achievements aside, Avatar is completely mediocre in the storytelling department. Avatar was something Cameron had talked up for over a decade with anticipation reaching a fever pitch just before release. But anticipation and praise like the kind Cameron’s become accustomed to on Titanic and Avatar is the rarest of the rare. Following up the two highest grossing films of all time will but a second visit to Pandora under higher scrutiny? With 3D as prevalent as it’s now become, Cameron has to justify and beef up a narrative that wrapped fairly neatly at the conclusion of the last film. Possible? Absolutely. But probable?
Where does this story go from here? Are we just adding two more films to end at the very same place Avatar 1 already did, with Pandora free of human interference and the blue cat people in a happier place?
Source: Bleeding Cool