With James Cameron’s pathological tendency to say “I’m going to do this” and then make wet documentaries for going on the past decade, I’ve taken the Indiana Jones stance on about everything he’s said: I’ll believe it when my ass is firmly parked in the theater seat. Incredulity aside, when you hear James Cameron talk about Avatar, there’s always a real sense of building excitement and charging electricity. Avatar has officially become my most anticipated film of 2009, when we’ll be driving flying cars and enjoying worldwide peace.
Looks like 20th Century Fox and James Cameron are serious about the 2009 thing, as they’ve officially announced Avatar will start filming in April. Of this year. You know, 2007- where we still drive cars and don’t have world peace. I have to admit, boilerplate semantics aside, Fox knows how to write up a geek-teasing press release.
The synopsis ladies, gentlemen and Chewers, follows:
Cameron has already cast the two leads, experienced but unknown Australian actor Sam Worthington (The Great Raid) and Zoe Saldana, (The only girl besides Kiera Knightly in the first Pirates of the Caribbean). The film will use the same on-set CGI motion capture that finally brought “real” to CG characters in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, as Cameron and crew flesh out what is explained as a massive, self-existing world. Of course, thanks to Mr. Cameron’s newfound obsession with the third dimension, the film is being shot for 3D. While the very prospect of the 3D gimmick being used in film scares me, the bravado displayed in the press release is holding my scorn at bay.
In the release, James Cameron is promising some mighty things and is setting the bar incredibly high. “I plan to honor [the 22 year relationship with Fox Studios] by bringing them a winner. And I have the team to do it…”., We shall see, Jim. We. Shall. See.
To view the complete release and all its swaggering detail, click here.
UPDATE: USA Today has run an article giving a little more detail on Avatar. The nugget of information as it relates to this story is the fact the live-action shoot which is scheduled to begin in April will only be 31 days total. The next 2-3 years will be Effects and CG. Read more about the new details and some pretty interesting plot points here.