Merrick here...
Over the weekend, THIS piece at The New York Times brought us an interesting discussion with James Cameron.
The conversation naturally turned towards the status of the currently-under-development AVATAR sequels. Cameron reveals what's been happening during the ramp-up to the productions, talks about refining and pushing the filmmaking technologies and methodologies brought to bear for the first film, and hints that the two AVATAR sequels that've already been announced may not be all the AVATAR that's coming our way.
Last year I basically completely disbanded my production company’s development arm. So I’m not interested in developing anything. I’m in the “Avatar” business. Period. That’s it. I’m making “Avatar 2,” “Avatar 3,” maybe “Avatar 4,” and I’m not going to produce other people’s movies for them. I’m not interested in taking scripts. And that all sounds I suppose a little bit restricted, but the point is I think within the “Avatar” landscape I can say everything I need to say that I think needs to be said, in terms of the state of the world and what I think we need to be doing about it. And doing it in an entertaining way.
I'd always presumed that further AVATAR films (beyond the next two ) would be feasible...but this is the first time (that I can recall, at least) the possibility has been evoked so pointedly. Interesting stuff, which also hints that some element of the upcoming AVATARs may conceivably involve China.
It’s a major market. Possibly within this time scope of these two films, certainly by the time of the third film, it may rival the U.S. domestic market, if not surpass it. And there are economic advantages with respect to the percentage of gross revenue that flows back.
Most notably...sounds like Cameron is more or less saying that whatever mulling he's done on other projects may well have been scuttled...and that the AVATAR universe will now become his primary storytelling platform.
Much more HERE!
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Glen Oliver
"Merrick"
