I feel the same way. I was equally disappointed when they offered the same leeway to Jane Campion’s production. I hope Amazon pulling LOTR out of NZ leads to us easing back on some of these heavy subsidies for these global conglomerates.
Here is hoping, but given that National AND Labour both give massive subsidies to mega film studios, I’m not sure things will change.
The whole funding methodology is effed. They should be funding movies to find the next Taika Waititi or Peter Jackson, not giving money to mega rich mega corp to make them even richer. Invest in the next generation.
From what I’ve read over the years, this should surprise nobody. His success has just encouraged him in his ways.
With 12 years of research and preproduction on these sequels, there must be millions and millions of sunk costs. The point where any boxoffice can break even on that (plus the inevitable huge marketing costs), must be insane.
“Does not suffer fools gladly”. That was an obvious opportunity for a quote drop, get your A game going, krazykrok.
Let’s just agree to disagree on that.
This article could just as easily go in a Dune thread, but it’s a good discussion between Cameron and Denis Villeneuve about their respective approaches to making massive science fiction movies.
I really enjoyed that interview! And it would be great to see Villeneuve shadow Cameron on his sets and vice versa. But I can’t help but feel snarky at this exchange early on in the interview:
Villeneuve: It’s always about your own intimate relationship with the project. Something that is not interesting for the audience or for anybody else but me. That’s like a kind of compass. I try to stay as close to the book as possible. I said to my crew, “That’s the bible. I would like us to deviate as less as possible from the book.”
There are similarities between the ideas behind “Dune” and “Avatar,” but I had that reference. I had the gospel of Frank Herbert. You went from scratch. You created that world. With all my respect, it must have been daunting?
Because I could swear I could hear the blessed mummified remains of Ursula K. Le Guin cough into her bandaged hand and rasp, “The Word For World Is Forest, jackass.”
Yeah, that story and “Vaster Than Empires, and More Slow” (also by Le Guin). But, you know, the addition of a fistfight with a exo-mech with a big hunting knife made it totally new. Or something.
And FernGully, and Dances with Wolves, and Call Me Joe…
I like how Empire thinks anyone knows who “Jake” and “Neytiri” are.
-Tom
It must be getting close to being finished, seeing as how we’re getting articles about it now.
Lol, joke’s on you. Release date is December 2022. I have no idea why they’re pumping the movie right now.
The only character I remember is Unobtanium.
For anyone who cares
What has it been, twenty years? Avatar feels like the Star Citizen of cinema.
I believe Mary Poppins still holds the record for longest time between original and sequel. 54 years.
It’s only been 13 years since Avatar!
3D? How does that work again? You wear a pair of glasses over your other glasses, right?
Yup, and those make everything dim and fuzzy.
Hah, 3D was a thing that basically came and went (yet again), and yet here Cameron is still trying to push it.