The history-making success of James Cameron's "Avatar" has not only quashed pre-release grumblings about the production's bloated budget, but turned the conversation toward the two confirmed sequels that don't exactly sound like low-budget affairs either.
With the mega-blockbuster's re-release approaching, details about the next two films have started to trickle out via the maestro himself, specifically Cameron's hints that the second film will involve the oceans of Pandora. Given his water-related filmmaking experience (see "Titanic" and "The Abyss"), as well as his fondness for diving as a hobby, MTV News recently asked Cameron if he'll shoot sequences underwater.
"I think what we should do there is — because we'll have to have characters that are in and under the water — is that we should actually capture them underwater," Cameron explained. "It's not the same as going diving, but I like to keep my diving, which I do for pleasure, separate from work."
He added that diving for work is not as much fun. "Diving for shooting a movie is work," he said. "Diving for exploration is a gas. I like to keep my peas and carrots separate."
Cameron previously described the ocean on Pandora as "equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative" as the setting of the first film, but that "it just won't be a rain forest."
Regarding the re-release of the film and the extra nine minutes that will be added, the Oscar-winner said he'll also be adding footage to the film's eventual special edition DVD. "We're doing a longer version for the DVD that is 16 to 17 minutes longer," he said, "but you'll have the choice: You can watch [the nine-minutes-longer version] or you can watch the original if you want to."
Are you excited about the sequels and seeing the oceans of Pandora? Talk about it in the comments!
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