Tomorrow, on Earth Day, Avatar will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray. However, you still have a chance to see the film on the big screen. In an interview with the LA Times, James Cameron revealed his plans for an Avatar re-release as well as a sequel.
First, Cameron said that Weta is working on an additional six minutes, which will be added to the movie for a theatrical re-release this August. He added:
“It’ll be interesting because it’ll be on DVD by then, but I think “Avatar” is kind of a unique category where people are enjoying the unique theatrical experience even though they may have seen it on the small screen. They want to have that immersive, transportive experience.”
He went on to compare the film to 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is a little pretentious, but I understand his point. The number of movies that could be successful during a second run in this economy is very low, but I think Avatar has a lot of potential, both from people that somehow missed the movie the first time around, as well as those of us who want to return to the experience again.
Cameron also discussed his ideas for Avatar 2: “Part of my focus in the second film is in creating a different environment – a different setting within Pandora. And I’m going to be focusing on the ocean on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative, but it just won’t be a rain forest. I’m not saying we won’t see what we’ve already seen; we’ll see more of that as well.”
The director said that production should run much more smoothly the second time around, so we will be back on Pandora sometime in the near future. However, being a science fiction fan, I’m more excited to see more of the space setting that was established at the very beginning of Avatar. Well, Cameron stated that the third film will focus more on the Alpha Centauri AB System that includes Pandora.
In any case, I don’t see the need for an Avatar sequel. I’ve always believed that a movie should stand alone, unless the story calls for a continuation. However, I understand that a series is inevitable after such an enormous success and I trust Cameron will do it his way and make another breathtaking movie.
