Tar Heels

We are now a week away from the release of James Cameron's long awaited Avatar and there's lots news bits floating around...

--Speaking at a press conference in London, the helmer confirms that should the film do well that two potential sequels could be in the works reports Variety.

Cost‎ issues?

With many of the assets (CG backgrounds) and the technology already in place it should make further films in a series much cheaper to produce.

Cameron says "in terms of the pitch it was: OK, you've spent a lot of money on the first one; on the second one we'll be able to amortize it [the CG assets] and focus on the story and all that ... and they bought that."

Cameron adds that he has worked out the story for a second and third film. Fox however says while the property clearly has sequel potential, the studio would not confirm any plans for further installments.

The film has screened for media in the US, UK‎ Canada and Australia over the past 12-24 hours, expect my review up either later today or Saturday.

--The Leona Lewis song "'I See You'" for the Avatar Soundtrack can be heard at Youtube....Sap-Pee

--The final running time of "Avatar" clocks in at 161 minutes...


Will the film change movies forever? Too early to say but it should be one hell of a ride

--As previously tweeted by Production Weekly--Shane Salerno has been hired to write a sci-fi feature for Cameron reports Variety.

The pic is a remake of the classic 1966 sci-fi classice Fantastic Voyage. which Cameron will produce. It's been on Cameron's radar for awhile with Roland Emmerich and Tarsem Singh both attached to direct at different points along the way.

The story centres on a dying scientist whose only chance for survival rests with five colleagues who are miniaturized and injected into his bloodstream.

The film is expected to be the first of several features that Cameron and his Lightstorm Entertainment will utilise the 3-D and digital technology developed for "Avatar".