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| Sunday, October 31, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
James Cameron Inventing New Technologies for Avatar 2 & 3
James Cameron is such a nerd. Seriously. But thankfully for us, he’s a nerd with an incredible talent for storytelling, and we not only get to experience him changing the filmmaking process itself but the way we view films in general. Case in point: for his upcoming sequels to the biggest movie of all time, Avatar, he’s working on two brand new technological advances. First, he wants to shoot and project Avatar 2 and 3 at a higher frame rate than 24 frames per second because “movies are a century out of date.” Second, he wants to close the gap to a point where he can shoot on his virtual camera with such quality that he doesn’t need visual effects to make the images photo real. You know, simple stuff like that. We’ve got video of Cameron discussing these advances and our elementary explanations after the jump.
Below is a video of Cameron answering a question of what technological advances he is going to need to create the worlds of Avatar 2 and 3, followed by the transcript and then, our layman breakdown of what he’s talking about.
Here’s what he says in the above clip.
Well we are going to see the oceans of Pandora and the lifeforms and ecosystems there, so we’ve got to do more with CG water, both underwater with the caustics, the lighting, the optics of bringing light through water and with the surface of water, which is one of the big challenges in CG. But that’s all doable, those are just plug ins, that’s all an iterative process. The only sweeping change between now and when we release the second Avatar film is I want to natively author the film at a higher frame rate and project it at a higher frame rate. I want to get rid of the motion artifacting associated with 24 frame display. Because movies are way behind, they’re a century out of date.
48, 60, 72, we’re looking at the efficacy of the different ones and different solutions. The projectors can do it right now, the projectors can run at 144hrz but they’re still displaying 24 frames content at 144hrz. The trick is how do you display 48 or 60 frame content, multiflashing it, the way 3D projectors do. So that’s one little bump I’m working on.
Then there’s some software development that we’re doing to make the process, our real time virtual production process more intuitive, faster, more real looking, more like the finished product. Right now we work at a proxy resolution. We create a 1980s video game looking end product, we give it to the visual effects company and they start over mapping all new high resolution assets to those low res assets. They start all over and do it all again and come out with a photo real end product. What we want to do is eliminate that middle step and start to close the gap between what our real time looks like and what the finished photo real looks like. Eventually, 15 years from now, we should be working real time in at a photo real image, almost like you do with photography. So it’s getting to the point where it’s indistinguishable from photography at the moment your doing it as opposed to waiting six months or a year.
Okay, so here’s what Cameron is talking about in a bit more elementary terms.
Film is shot, and projected, at 24 frames per second. However, that’s a limitation of the medium. Humans move faster than that by nature so the higher the amount of frames one shoots, the more precise the movement gets. For example, in Jackass 3D, they shot on a camera that shoots at 1000 frames per second then project it at 24 frames per second. So by projecting all those frames in 24 frame speed, it looks really slow. But if that footage was projected at 1000 frames per second, it would just look really crisp. Cameron doesn’t want his movies to be that fast, just faster than 24 and because he’s shooting digitally, and not on film, he can do that. Computers can do anything! And, according to him, the current 3D digital projectors can handle a higher frame rate. He just has to figure out what works best for him and his images. Once he does, the films will look cleaner and not have any “motion artifacting,” which basically means blurring. I love that he says “so that’s one little bump I’m working on.” You know, just totally changing the way films are made and displayed.
The second “little bump” he’s working on is improving the software in his virtual camera. This will surely be detailed in the new Avatar DVD coming out, but one of Cameron’s biggest inventions on the first film was a camera that made it possible for the actors in motion capture suits, on a soundstage, to look and see a very rough idea of what the final images of Pandora would look like in real time. It’s sort of like in iChat how you can put yourself on a roller coaster or under the sea.
Well, Cameron is working to make those images in his camera better and better. The better they get, the less digital effects need to happen on the back end. Eventually, he feels like the software will be smart enough that you can shoot and see – basically – the final movie, already done, immediately. It would be like shooting CG as if it was film. Again, just another “little bump,” eliminating digital effects.
Do you think Cameron will be able to make these advances by 2014? And do you think either is as important as he makes it sound?
Below is a video of Cameron answering a question of what technological advances he is going to need to create the worlds of Avatar 2 and 3, followed by the transcript and then, our layman breakdown of what he’s talking about.
Here’s what he says in the above clip.
Well we are going to see the oceans of Pandora and the lifeforms and ecosystems there, so we’ve got to do more with CG water, both underwater with the caustics, the lighting, the optics of bringing light through water and with the surface of water, which is one of the big challenges in CG. But that’s all doable, those are just plug ins, that’s all an iterative process. The only sweeping change between now and when we release the second Avatar film is I want to natively author the film at a higher frame rate and project it at a higher frame rate. I want to get rid of the motion artifacting associated with 24 frame display. Because movies are way behind, they’re a century out of date.
48, 60, 72, we’re looking at the efficacy of the different ones and different solutions. The projectors can do it right now, the projectors can run at 144hrz but they’re still displaying 24 frames content at 144hrz. The trick is how do you display 48 or 60 frame content, multiflashing it, the way 3D projectors do. So that’s one little bump I’m working on.
Then there’s some software development that we’re doing to make the process, our real time virtual production process more intuitive, faster, more real looking, more like the finished product. Right now we work at a proxy resolution. We create a 1980s video game looking end product, we give it to the visual effects company and they start over mapping all new high resolution assets to those low res assets. They start all over and do it all again and come out with a photo real end product. What we want to do is eliminate that middle step and start to close the gap between what our real time looks like and what the finished photo real looks like. Eventually, 15 years from now, we should be working real time in at a photo real image, almost like you do with photography. So it’s getting to the point where it’s indistinguishable from photography at the moment your doing it as opposed to waiting six months or a year.
Okay, so here’s what Cameron is talking about in a bit more elementary terms.
Film is shot, and projected, at 24 frames per second. However, that’s a limitation of the medium. Humans move faster than that by nature so the higher the amount of frames one shoots, the more precise the movement gets. For example, in Jackass 3D, they shot on a camera that shoots at 1000 frames per second then project it at 24 frames per second. So by projecting all those frames in 24 frame speed, it looks really slow. But if that footage was projected at 1000 frames per second, it would just look really crisp. Cameron doesn’t want his movies to be that fast, just faster than 24 and because he’s shooting digitally, and not on film, he can do that. Computers can do anything! And, according to him, the current 3D digital projectors can handle a higher frame rate. He just has to figure out what works best for him and his images. Once he does, the films will look cleaner and not have any “motion artifacting,” which basically means blurring. I love that he says “so that’s one little bump I’m working on.” You know, just totally changing the way films are made and displayed.
The second “little bump” he’s working on is improving the software in his virtual camera. This will surely be detailed in the new Avatar DVD coming out, but one of Cameron’s biggest inventions on the first film was a camera that made it possible for the actors in motion capture suits, on a soundstage, to look and see a very rough idea of what the final images of Pandora would look like in real time. It’s sort of like in iChat how you can put yourself on a roller coaster or under the sea.
Well, Cameron is working to make those images in his camera better and better. The better they get, the less digital effects need to happen on the back end. Eventually, he feels like the software will be smart enough that you can shoot and see – basically – the final movie, already done, immediately. It would be like shooting CG as if it was film. Again, just another “little bump,” eliminating digital effects.
Do you think Cameron will be able to make these advances by 2014? And do you think either is as important as he makes it sound?
Cameron on Avatar 2 & the Environmental Crisis
On stage at a private event in Silicon Valley last night was legendary director James Cameron and Google CEO Eric Schmidt is a fascinating 2 hours of conversation that touches on everything from the technology of the coming Avatar 2 film on the dangers that the environment if measures must make is not to be taken.
Eric Schmidt, who asked the moderator, Cameron on a variety of topics before an audience of Silicon Valley maker of the Churchill Club Premiere Event. The conversation began with a video of Cameron's decades of successes, including Terminator, Rambo, Alien, Total Recall, of course, Titanic and Avatar. Quickly moved into a conversation about how he created the most expensive and most profitable movie in the history of mankind.
Cameron said before he wrote the screenplay for Avatar, he said the fundamentals of history and consulted with the artists. "Now is my first step is to work with the artists," said Cameron Schmidt on stage. He does this because he can see the characters and immerse themselves in art (especially CG and Photoshop these days), before he can be a script that will write a much more specific document.
Cameron Schmidt asked about the technology he used (and invented in some cases) to create the Na'vi and the world of Pandora (Pandora). The famous director described the motion-capture technology used to detect the movements of the actors. Special focus was to capture the facial features rig that changes in an actor's facial muscles, eyes and paid more prisoners. It was not the rig itself was the ground breaking, "said Cameron, but the algorithms used to understand the actor's emotions and facial expressions.
What Avatar 2 Avatar and 3, not Cameron did not want to reveal details of the action. But after the interview, I asked the filmmaker, he must invent the technologies, would be to create both films. While he mentioned that the new CG would have to Avatar 2 underwater scenes and marine areas developed, the real challenge, he wants to increase the frame rate to continue to fight. The films are being shot at a frame rate of 24 frames per second. His goal is to make it up to 48 or 60 frames per second, making it so you get realistic shots at the time of the shooting, rather than waiting six months for processing.
Rewriting of the contract: 3D
James Cameron has an interesting point in the middle of the conversation - for work, many of us sit in front of our screens all day long. But if we want to relax ... we see screens. Sometimes we watch several screens.
Acclaimed director saw this and decided that he wanted to "fundamentally related to the contract between the people and their visual media to re-write." His tool of choice, as many of you know, 3D.
Cameron unleashed a new era of film with spectacular 3D technology he created specifically for Avatar. The result is a growing number of films in 3D rotation, was to improve the movie experience.
He believes that there are no obstacles for 3D omnipresence in the next five ten years ago. The first big breakthrough will be when it is in the mainstream worldwide. He pointed out that there are millions of 3D-enabled TV sets in the market (of which we saw many at CES 2010), he says the real obstacle to go mainstream 3D in the home is the lack of TV programs in 3D. Discovery and ESPN in 3D can be jumping, but we are still years away from seeing The Big Bang Theory in three dimensions.
Cameron also believes 3D has become a pleasant experience to mainstream. Google CEO took some time to explain the technology behind 3D glasses, the audience (polarized lenses help you see a picture and then in another view items). Cameron does not believe we are far away from a time when we do not need the glasses on 3D movies and TV shows. He can say that this will be especially important for players who sit up to eight hours before a screen at a time. The Nintendo 3DS is a step in that direction.
"We are the Comet This Time"
The vast majority of the conversation turned towards ecological issues when Eric Schmidt described Avatar as a narrative about the world of ecology. "Why do you care so much about him?" Schmidt asked Cameron. "What is your responsibility, and why they are significant, with your bass?"
"Every film is a teaching moment, but it must be wrapped in powerful entertainment," Cameron said in the response. He says part of the reason Avatar had succeeded in that it spoke on the human psyche and heart. Specifically, he said, something he believes, we all know: that we are separated from nature and that we are on a precipice.
"If we do not have control over our management of our planet," Cameron began, "the planet we leave our children and our grandchildren will be in serious danger."
The next part of the conversation centered around the statistics and Cameron Schmidt's support positions on the environment. They said that, 70% of the species until the end of this century if we do nothing to be extinct on the rise in global temperatures. Both men pointed out that would be devastating during an average temperature rise of a few degrees, the temperature rise would be three times as high in the Arctic and Antarctic poles.
Cameron travels a lot to bring awareness to his cause. He also wants several documentaries during the filming of Avatar 2 and 3 to create on the avatar issue. He is also deeply in a project on a vehicle that the absolute bottom of the ocean, what has been achieved "balloon filled with gasoline." Only once so far with a vehicle they get involved in creating as described
While they are a lot of ground (more than I can reasonably type up) fall, there was a quote that really summed up Cameron and Schmidt's thoughts on our approach to the environment. It was in relation to the comet that killed the dinosaurs.
"We are the Comets this time," said Cameron.
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Cameron said before he wrote the screenplay for Avatar, he said the fundamentals of history and consulted with the artists. "Now is my first step is to work with the artists," said Cameron Schmidt on stage. He does this because he can see the characters and immerse themselves in art (especially CG and Photoshop these days), before he can be a script that will write a much more specific document.
Cameron Schmidt asked about the technology he used (and invented in some cases) to create the Na'vi and the world of Pandora (Pandora). The famous director described the motion-capture technology used to detect the movements of the actors. Special focus was to capture the facial features rig that changes in an actor's facial muscles, eyes and paid more prisoners. It was not the rig itself was the ground breaking, "said Cameron, but the algorithms used to understand the actor's emotions and facial expressions.
What Avatar 2 Avatar and 3, not Cameron did not want to reveal details of the action. But after the interview, I asked the filmmaker, he must invent the technologies, would be to create both films. While he mentioned that the new CG would have to Avatar 2 underwater scenes and marine areas developed, the real challenge, he wants to increase the frame rate to continue to fight. The films are being shot at a frame rate of 24 frames per second. His goal is to make it up to 48 or 60 frames per second, making it so you get realistic shots at the time of the shooting, rather than waiting six months for processing.
Rewriting of the contract: 3D
James Cameron has an interesting point in the middle of the conversation - for work, many of us sit in front of our screens all day long. But if we want to relax ... we see screens. Sometimes we watch several screens.
Acclaimed director saw this and decided that he wanted to "fundamentally related to the contract between the people and their visual media to re-write." His tool of choice, as many of you know, 3D.
Cameron unleashed a new era of film with spectacular 3D technology he created specifically for Avatar. The result is a growing number of films in 3D rotation, was to improve the movie experience.
He believes that there are no obstacles for 3D omnipresence in the next five ten years ago. The first big breakthrough will be when it is in the mainstream worldwide. He pointed out that there are millions of 3D-enabled TV sets in the market (of which we saw many at CES 2010), he says the real obstacle to go mainstream 3D in the home is the lack of TV programs in 3D. Discovery and ESPN in 3D can be jumping, but we are still years away from seeing The Big Bang Theory in three dimensions.
Cameron also believes 3D has become a pleasant experience to mainstream. Google CEO took some time to explain the technology behind 3D glasses, the audience (polarized lenses help you see a picture and then in another view items). Cameron does not believe we are far away from a time when we do not need the glasses on 3D movies and TV shows. He can say that this will be especially important for players who sit up to eight hours before a screen at a time. The Nintendo 3DS is a step in that direction.
"We are the Comet This Time"
The vast majority of the conversation turned towards ecological issues when Eric Schmidt described Avatar as a narrative about the world of ecology. "Why do you care so much about him?" Schmidt asked Cameron. "What is your responsibility, and why they are significant, with your bass?"
"Every film is a teaching moment, but it must be wrapped in powerful entertainment," Cameron said in the response. He says part of the reason Avatar had succeeded in that it spoke on the human psyche and heart. Specifically, he said, something he believes, we all know: that we are separated from nature and that we are on a precipice.
"If we do not have control over our management of our planet," Cameron began, "the planet we leave our children and our grandchildren will be in serious danger."
The next part of the conversation centered around the statistics and Cameron Schmidt's support positions on the environment. They said that, 70% of the species until the end of this century if we do nothing to be extinct on the rise in global temperatures. Both men pointed out that would be devastating during an average temperature rise of a few degrees, the temperature rise would be three times as high in the Arctic and Antarctic poles.
Cameron travels a lot to bring awareness to his cause. He also wants several documentaries during the filming of Avatar 2 and 3 to create on the avatar issue. He is also deeply in a project on a vehicle that the absolute bottom of the ocean, what has been achieved "balloon filled with gasoline." Only once so far with a vehicle they get involved in creating as described
While they are a lot of ground (more than I can reasonably type up) fall, there was a quote that really summed up Cameron and Schmidt's thoughts on our approach to the environment. It was in relation to the comet that killed the dinosaurs.
"We are the Comets this time," said Cameron.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The 'Avatar' sequels: An instant guide
James Cameron is taking his cameras underwater for two sequels to his sci-fi juggernaut, and filming could start as early as next year
The first Avatar set records as both the most expensive movie ever (with estimated production costs as high as $310 million) and the most profitable (becoming the first film to gross over $2 billion worldwide). Director James Cameron has been dropping hints about an underwater-set Avatar sequel all year; now, he's confirmed that he'll actually be making two sequels and that he'll be diving in very soon. (Watch star Sam Worthington discuss the Avatar sequels.) Here, a quick guide to the new movies:
So when can we expect the sequels?
Cameron says he'll begin writing in January 2011, with production for the first sequel set to begin at the end of next year. If there's no serious delay (a big if), Avatar 2 is projected to hit theaters in December 2014, according to 20th Century Fox. If Cameron decides to film the two sequels concurrently, as he is thinking of doing, the second sequel would come out in December 2015.
Why is a release date big news?
Because it wasn't clear whether Cameron would make the Avatar sequels first or begin work on one of the other projects to which he's attached — like Battle Angel, which is "about a 26th century female cyborg rescued from the scrapheap." And there's a significant time issue: "With his heavily developed story lines and intensive use of new technology, Cameron can often take a decade or longer between films."
Any hints on what the new movies are about?
Not really. In a statement released by Fox, Cameron was vague on plot and long on platitudes. For instance: "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."
Should the Avatar actors be worried?
They're not expected to join Cameron in the Mariana Trench, but Cameron has a history of allegedly tormenting actors underwater. During the filming of 1989's The Abyss, he put those playing deep sea divers through such strenuous paces that one (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) reportedly had a nervous breakdown. After the six month, 70 hour-a-week shoot was finished, Cameron had limited sympathy for his stars. "For every hour they spent trying to figure out what magazine to read, we spent an hour at the bottom of the tank breathing compressed air,"
The first Avatar set records as both the most expensive movie ever (with estimated production costs as high as $310 million) and the most profitable (becoming the first film to gross over $2 billion worldwide). Director James Cameron has been dropping hints about an underwater-set Avatar sequel all year; now, he's confirmed that he'll actually be making two sequels and that he'll be diving in very soon. (Watch star Sam Worthington discuss the Avatar sequels.) Here, a quick guide to the new movies:
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Cameron says he'll begin writing in January 2011, with production for the first sequel set to begin at the end of next year. If there's no serious delay (a big if), Avatar 2 is projected to hit theaters in December 2014, according to 20th Century Fox. If Cameron decides to film the two sequels concurrently, as he is thinking of doing, the second sequel would come out in December 2015.
Why is a release date big news?
Because it wasn't clear whether Cameron would make the Avatar sequels first or begin work on one of the other projects to which he's attached — like Battle Angel, which is "about a 26th century female cyborg rescued from the scrapheap." And there's a significant time issue: "With his heavily developed story lines and intensive use of new technology, Cameron can often take a decade or longer between films."
Any hints on what the new movies are about?
Not really. In a statement released by Fox, Cameron was vague on plot and long on platitudes. For instance: "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."
But the sequels will be set underwater, right?
Yes. Cameron told the Los Angeles Times in April that Avatar 2 would be focusing on the ocean worlds of Pandora, the fictional planet introduced in the first film. Specifically, Cameron wants to journey into the depths of the the Mariana Trench, almost seven miles beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
Why would he tackle such a difficult location?
For the challenge and also, some say, for a potential $10 million prize that the X Prize Foundation is expected to offer would-be explorers who can successfully descend to the Mariana Trench — something only two people have ever done before. The director wants to film at 36,000 ft. — a depth at which no existing submarine can withstand the enormous pressures. Even the strongest military submersible can only descend to 3,000 ft.
Yes. Cameron told the Los Angeles Times in April that Avatar 2 would be focusing on the ocean worlds of Pandora, the fictional planet introduced in the first film. Specifically, Cameron wants to journey into the depths of the the Mariana Trench, almost seven miles beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
Why would he tackle such a difficult location?
For the challenge and also, some say, for a potential $10 million prize that the X Prize Foundation is expected to offer would-be explorers who can successfully descend to the Mariana Trench — something only two people have ever done before. The director wants to film at 36,000 ft. — a depth at which no existing submarine can withstand the enormous pressures. Even the strongest military submersible can only descend to 3,000 ft.
How will he get down there?
He'll build his own submarine, of course. Cameron has hired a team of Australian engineers to conceive and construct an underwater vessel that can not only handle the fierce conditions but also function as an underwater 3D studio.
He'll build his own submarine, of course. Cameron has hired a team of Australian engineers to conceive and construct an underwater vessel that can not only handle the fierce conditions but also function as an underwater 3D studio.
What will Cameron be filming at the bottom of the ocean floor?
3D footage that would be incorporated into the Avatar sequel. For "a very basic idea of what Cameron might encounter," suggests Nicholas Jackson at The Atlantic, take a look at this simulated video from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. If Cameron is expecting the bright blues and greens of Pandora, says Michael Hanlon at The Daily Mail, he won't find them in "this inky world of greys and browns."
3D footage that would be incorporated into the Avatar sequel. For "a very basic idea of what Cameron might encounter," suggests Nicholas Jackson at The Atlantic, take a look at this simulated video from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. If Cameron is expecting the bright blues and greens of Pandora, says Michael Hanlon at The Daily Mail, he won't find them in "this inky world of greys and browns."
They're not expected to join Cameron in the Mariana Trench, but Cameron has a history of allegedly tormenting actors underwater. During the filming of 1989's The Abyss, he put those playing deep sea divers through such strenuous paces that one (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) reportedly had a nervous breakdown. After the six month, 70 hour-a-week shoot was finished, Cameron had limited sympathy for his stars. "For every hour they spent trying to figure out what magazine to read, we spent an hour at the bottom of the tank breathing compressed air,"
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Cameron Wants To Film Avatar Sequels Back-To-Back
There won't be 12-year waits between film projects this time for director James Cameron.
The man who can lay claim to the highest-grossing movie and second highest-grossing movie of all time (not counting inflation) says he's hard at work on more from the universe of Oscar nominee "Avatar," and that the next two movies could be shot together.
It would be similar to the strategy used most recently with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" as well as what's proposed for "The Hobbit." But filming two sequel movies at the same time didn't start there. Heck, even Robert Zemeckis did it for the second and third parts in his Back to the Future trilogy in the early 1990s.
"Our plan right now is to do [parts] two and three as a single large production and release them a year apart," Cameron told reporters, according to ComingSoon. "In order to do that, we have to refine our technical processes beyond the end of where we were finishing 'Avatar' [part] one a year ago. We need to future-proof ourselves out five or six years to the end of the third film."
But he might not get to the sequels to "Avatar" right away. There has been talk he could begin work on his Cleopatra project, potentially starring Angelina Jolie. If he were to take on the "Avatar" sequels first, he would work on them exclusively, however, until both were done.
"I'm not going to work on a film between [parts] two and three," Cameron said of the Avatar franchise.
Although there isn't much out there floating around on what the sequels could be about, except for the fact they would take place on Pandora after the events of the 2009 movie, Cameron is leaving the door open for Sigourney Weaver to step back in.
"Who said she died," Cameron said of Weaver's character of Dr. Grace Augustine. "Nobody dies in a science-fiction movie. Whether Grace lives or dies depends more on Sigourney's agent than anything."
The special Blu-ray edition of "Avatar" is set for release Nov. 16.
The man who can lay claim to the highest-grossing movie and second highest-grossing movie of all time (not counting inflation) says he's hard at work on more from the universe of Oscar nominee "Avatar," and that the next two movies could be shot together.
It would be similar to the strategy used most recently with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" as well as what's proposed for "The Hobbit." But filming two sequel movies at the same time didn't start there. Heck, even Robert Zemeckis did it for the second and third parts in his Back to the Future trilogy in the early 1990s.
"Our plan right now is to do [parts] two and three as a single large production and release them a year apart," Cameron told reporters, according to ComingSoon. "In order to do that, we have to refine our technical processes beyond the end of where we were finishing 'Avatar' [part] one a year ago. We need to future-proof ourselves out five or six years to the end of the third film."
But he might not get to the sequels to "Avatar" right away. There has been talk he could begin work on his Cleopatra project, potentially starring Angelina Jolie. If he were to take on the "Avatar" sequels first, he would work on them exclusively, however, until both were done.
"I'm not going to work on a film between [parts] two and three," Cameron said of the Avatar franchise.
Although there isn't much out there floating around on what the sequels could be about, except for the fact they would take place on Pandora after the events of the 2009 movie, Cameron is leaving the door open for Sigourney Weaver to step back in.
"Who said she died," Cameron said of Weaver's character of Dr. Grace Augustine. "Nobody dies in a science-fiction movie. Whether Grace lives or dies depends more on Sigourney's agent than anything."
The special Blu-ray edition of "Avatar" is set for release Nov. 16.
Sigourney Weaver Teases Her Return In 'Avatar' Sequel
Already a science fiction icon thanks to her role in the "Aliens" franchise, Sigourney Weaver added another notch to her sci-fi belt with "Avatar," bringing all of the intellect, warmth, humor and gravitas we've come to expect from the actress to her portrayal of Dr. Grace Augustine, a scientist studying the flora and fauna of Pandora.
But sadly, Grace was one of the many characters who didn't make it to the end of "Avatar," leaving one to assume that Weaver would not have a role to play in the eventual "Avatar" sequels. But you know what they say about assumptions — and if you don't, Weaver is here to remind you.
"It's always a mistake in science fiction to make these judgments on the dead," Weaver coyly told MTV News during a phone interview this weekend. Should we take that to mean that Grace hasn't slipped into the great beyond with Eywa just yet?
"You didn't really see her die," she said. "What you saw was... something happen. I think that [James Cameron] wants all of this to be a surprise, but don't buy the funeral wreath quite yet."
We certainly won't, Ms. Weaver, if that means we've got an opportunity to spend more time with you on Pandora! Whether or not she's involved with the sequels, Weaver has given some thought to the "Avatar" franchise and where she would like to see the story go.
"I think that the challenges to Pandora will continue," she said. "I do think that humans will be back. I also think that maybe we'll get more of a chance to live a Na'vi life. I think we want to be in that world and I, for one, would love to be a Thanator in that world! I just think we have a big appetite for going back there, and I know that Jim will do everything he can to satisfy us and take it to even more parts of Pandora that we don't even know exist yet."
For now, fans hoping for Grace's return can enjoy a solid consolation prize: The character has plenty of screen time in the over 45 minutes of deleted scenes featured in the "Avatar" Extended Collector's Edition hitting Blu-ray and DVD on November 16.
"There are quite a few scenes with Grace," she said. "You get to see more of the relationship between Grace and Jake, developing their conversations and her mentoring of him. When [Cameron] cut the film, the relationship worked so well that you didn't need a lot of the verbiage [between Jake and Grace]. But I think a lot of the verbiage was actually interesting and has more of Grace's history in it and her concerns for Jake's situation, what he's doing, and just their fondness for each other. More of the relationship is in the DVD."
Do you think Grace still has a fighting chance? Are you excited for the character's extra scenes in the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release? Let us know what you think in the comments section
But sadly, Grace was one of the many characters who didn't make it to the end of "Avatar," leaving one to assume that Weaver would not have a role to play in the eventual "Avatar" sequels. But you know what they say about assumptions — and if you don't, Weaver is here to remind you.
"It's always a mistake in science fiction to make these judgments on the dead," Weaver coyly told MTV News during a phone interview this weekend. Should we take that to mean that Grace hasn't slipped into the great beyond with Eywa just yet?
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| Sigourney Weaver as 'Grace' in the 1st Avatar |
"You didn't really see her die," she said. "What you saw was... something happen. I think that [James Cameron] wants all of this to be a surprise, but don't buy the funeral wreath quite yet."
We certainly won't, Ms. Weaver, if that means we've got an opportunity to spend more time with you on Pandora! Whether or not she's involved with the sequels, Weaver has given some thought to the "Avatar" franchise and where she would like to see the story go.
"I think that the challenges to Pandora will continue," she said. "I do think that humans will be back. I also think that maybe we'll get more of a chance to live a Na'vi life. I think we want to be in that world and I, for one, would love to be a Thanator in that world! I just think we have a big appetite for going back there, and I know that Jim will do everything he can to satisfy us and take it to even more parts of Pandora that we don't even know exist yet."
For now, fans hoping for Grace's return can enjoy a solid consolation prize: The character has plenty of screen time in the over 45 minutes of deleted scenes featured in the "Avatar" Extended Collector's Edition hitting Blu-ray and DVD on November 16.
"There are quite a few scenes with Grace," she said. "You get to see more of the relationship between Grace and Jake, developing their conversations and her mentoring of him. When [Cameron] cut the film, the relationship worked so well that you didn't need a lot of the verbiage [between Jake and Grace]. But I think a lot of the verbiage was actually interesting and has more of Grace's history in it and her concerns for Jake's situation, what he's doing, and just their fondness for each other. More of the relationship is in the DVD."
Do you think Grace still has a fighting chance? Are you excited for the character's extra scenes in the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release? Let us know what you think in the comments section
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