27 October, 2010

Cameron Locked For Two More 'AVATAR' Movies!



LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 16: Director/producer James Cameron speaks onstage during Spike TV's 'Scream 2010' at The Greek Theatre on October 16, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Caulfield/Getty Images)


Twentieth Century Fox has managed to sign up James Cameron for two more 'AVATAR' movies, which unfortunately means that Sony Pictures' 'Cleopatra' has been put on hold - Deadline reports!


The Academy Award®-winning filmmaker James Cameron agreed to make AVATAR 2 and 3 as his next movie projects, and will begin work on the scripts early next year with a view towards starting production late in 2011. Cameron is yet to decide whether or not to shoot the movies back-to-back after he completes the scripts, but the release of the first, as yet untitled sequel, is targeted for December 2014, with the third film contemplated for a December 2015 release.

Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman made the official announcement today, saying:

“AVATAR is not only the highest grossing movie of all time, it is a created universe based on the singular imagination and daring of James Cameron, who also raised the consciousness of people worldwide to some of the greatest issues facing our planet.

“We had no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of AVATAR. This is a great day in the history of our company, and we thank Jim, Jon Landau, Rae Sanchini and all of their team and all of our Fox colleagues throughout the world, who have made this possible.”


Cameron commented on the opportunity to continue with his big-budget saga:

"It is a rare and remarkable opportunity when a filmmaker gets to build a fantasy world, and watch it grow, with the resources and partnership of a global media company. AVATAR was conceived as an epic work of fantasy – a world that audiences could visit, across all media platforms, and this moment marks the launch of the next phase of that world. With two new films on the drawing boards, my company and I are embarking on an epic journey with our partners at Twentieth Century Fox. Our goal is to meet and exceed the global audience's expectations for the richness of AVATAR’s visual world and the power of the storytelling. In the second and third films, which will be self contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of AVATAR’s visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world. I'm looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild."


Producer Jon Landau added his thoughts:

“It is very exciting to be teaming again with our partners at Fox to give audiences the opportunity to return to Pandora.

“With the first movie, Jim only scratched the surface of the stories he wants to tell and the creatures and world he wants to create. Now we will continue his vision.”


Cameron's relationship with FOX spans 25 years and marks one of the most successful filmmaker-studio alliances in motion picture history. Cameron and Fox first got together in 1985 for 'Aliens', which became a sci-fi classic. Next came 'The Abyss', which revolutionised visual effects technology; and 'True Lies', a blockbuster starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1996, FOX gave the green light for Cameron’s 'Titanic', which became the most successful movie in history, and won a record-breaking eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture!


So there it is... The story of Pandora continues!


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