Avatar Summer Release Based On 3D Love Story

By: Tina Hodges
03/15/2010 09:05 AM ET

There was a rumor that Avatar will be re-released this summer, but now we learn it will be an entire new 3D movie. Hollywood producer Jon Landau says he and director James Cameron are working on a sequel to 3D blockbuster among several projects. In fact, there are a lot of new movies coming down the pipeline.

“This is the first week we are not thinking about Avatar,” Landau said in a statement. “We are talking about an Avatar sequel as well as a small love story called The Dive and a movie called Fantastic Voyage.”

Another project planned by the duo was Battle Angel Alita. It is a Japanese novel set in the future and centering on a young female cyborg’s quest for self-discovery. Landau said a decision on which project they would pursue first would be taken within six months.

“We always said if the movie (Avatar) was successful we would do an Avatar 2, but we have to find the right story. Jim Cameron has done sequels before… He will only do one if he believes it will be as good as the first,” said Landau.

Landau also believes that all movies will eventually move to the 3D platform. Moreover, he sees mobile devices, computer screens and televisions will begin using the technology. He recently met with officials from Skype, who are interested in 3D technology.

3D Movie Earns More Than $2 Billion and Receives 9 Academy Awards

Avatar is set in the year 2154 when humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on Pandora. Pandora is a lush moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system. The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe.

Development on Avatar began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page script for the film. Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic, for a planned release in 1999. However, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve Cameron’s vision of the film.

Work on the language for the film’s extraterrestrial beings began in summer 2005. The screenplay and fictional universe started in early 2006. The movie now has a cult following.

Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million. However, the cost was somewhere between $280 million to $310 million for production. The film was created for traditional two-dimensional projectors as well as in 3-D.

Some of the 3D technologies used are RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D and IMAX 3D formats. The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a likely breakthrough in cinematic technology. Avatar premiered in North America on December 18 and became an instant commercial success.

It also became the first film to earn more than $2 billion. Following the film’s success, Cameron stated that there will be a sequel. Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won three, for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction.