Avatar 2 set in Pandora's ocean
- 22 April 2010
- John Howell
Promoting the release of his 3D sci-fi epic, Avatar, on Blu-ray and DVD, James Cameron revealed to the Los Angeles Times that Avatar's sequel will be set beneath the waves of Pandora.
"We created a broad canvas for the environment of film," Cameron told the paper. "That's not just on Pandora, but throughout the Alpha Centauri AB system. And we expand out across that system and incorporate more into the story—not necessarily in the second film, but more toward a third film. I've already announced this, so I might as well say it: Part of my focus in the second film is in creating a different environment—a different setting within Pandora. And I'm going to be focusing on the ocean on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative, but it just won't be a rain forest."
This seems like an ideal choice for Cameron. If you're familiar with his films, you'll know that he's no stranger to ocean themed work, having directed the underrated science fiction classic The Abyss in 1989, about an American ballistic missile submarine that sinks near the edge of the Cayman Trough after crashing into an unidentified object beneath the waves. Of course another of his "very minor" hits, Titanic, also featured an ocean setting. Additionally, Cameron has directed two ocean documentaries: Ghosts of the Abyss in 2003, where his camera crew investigated the wreck of the Titanic, and Aliens of the Deep in 2005, which explored the Mid-Ocean Ridges, submerged chains of mountains in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans where some of Earth's most unusual aquatic life forms thrive. Aliens of the Deep was also filmed in the IMAX 3D format.
Given his special effects experience and underwater obsessions, the 3D water based environments he creates in Avatar 2 could be even more immersive and captivating than the first film's startling creature filled forest scenes. For those of you who are worried about a second Avatar film set entirely underwater though, fear not. Cameron added that:
"I'm not saying we won't see what we've already seen; we'll see more of that as well."
Cameron's Avatar has barely left the big screen (actually, it's probably still playing at a few cinemas) but I'm guessing we'll be hearing a lot more details about his sequel plans soon. With the enormous success of Avatar, studio backing for more experimental special effects work involving H2O is not going to be a problem for whatever direction Cameron decides to take in Avatar 2 and 3.
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