Considering “Avatar” made $2.7 billion world wide and $749 million in the U.S., James Cameron’s reasoning behind the re-release — for those that “didn’t get a chance to see the movie in 3D, in a movie theater” — seem positively laughable, but whatever, justify a re-release if you have to (he’s also the one laughing all the way to the bank, so what do we know…).
While he’s not getting a cent of our money, “Avatar” — with nine whole minutes of extra footage — hits theaters once again on August 27th and stands to make even more bank at the end of the dead summer season. A new trailer has been released and EW has posted two images in their print edition. Meanwhile, Cameron has been doing the press rounds again telling several different outlets much of the same; like the kinky sex-scene in the picture will be fully restored (don’t get too thrilled you furries, it sounds tame and he calls it “alien foreplay”). He recently said the novel (not novelization, he’s writing it) is next, and then two sequels that could shoot back to back. The filmmaker has already said that “Avatar 2” will likely take place under the seas of Pandora (any underwater locale being his favorite location), but somehow Cameron reiterating the point is news again.
But “Avatar” obsessives note: it looks like guilt is making Cameron rethink the storylines for the “Avatar” sequels.
“I’ve always had a story arc in mind for the sequel, but then I took a trip to South America after Avatar came out and that has altered the story line somewhat.
What happened in South America?
I was doing a fund-raiser for these people called the Achuar. [The Achuar are an Amazonian community who want to keep oil companies from drilling near their homelands.] This fund-raiser was trying to get public attention. A bunch of Achuar were bused in to watch Avatar at an IMAX theater in 3D. These are people who had never been in a movie theater. They’re wearing feathers and paint. And they put on the glasses and watch Avatar, the first movie they’ve ever seen. And when they came out, the BBC interviewed them. This one woman, a tribal elder, says, ‘In this movie, they solved their problems by fighting. We are not afraid to fight, but we have decided to try to solve our problems through dialogue. So this movie needs a better message.’ I felt like I’d been punk’d. But it made me think.”
Great, another environmental message? “Avatar” swings back into theaters on August 27th.
