Later this month, James Cameron’s epic sci-fi movie, Avatar; the film that was loved the world over, and went on to break numerous records (biggest ever IMAX opening, and gained the largest ever weekend opening for a film that was not part of a franchise, as well as breaking several other weekend records) before surpassing the grosses of Cameron’s previous film, Titanic, and becoming the highest grossing movie of all time; is due to be re-released in cinemas, for a limited time only.
The re-release won’t simply be a re-run of the last print, but comes with nine minutes of additional footage (something James recently corrected from the official press statement; which only lists eight minutes extras) included in the runtime; footage that will be comprised of entirely CG shots, and “no boring shots of people sitting around in an office drinking coffee.”
Added in will be a hunt sequence, a Na’vi counterattack, the human response to that attack, and an extension of the final battle sequence, as well as the introduction of new creatures, clips that Cameron himself says include “the best CG in the film”, and the infamous sex scene between the two leads; a scene that has been described by the film’s star, Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) as being “unique”, and has had “every last frame” restored; according to the director.
And while James is slow to release any information about a possible sequel, he has stated that he has “an overall arc” ready for the second and third film in the series; which he is planning on modifying, as a result of recently spending time with native tribes in the Amazon; and as he’s currently hard at work on the Avatar novel, and toiling away at at 3D conversion of Titanic (which should be ready for theatrical release in 2012), a script for the next movies in the series will be some ways off.
In the meantime, the extra nine minutes of footage (which reportedly cost $1 million per minute to produce and finish) can be seen in the Extended Special Edition of Avatar; which will not be waiting 25 years for it’s re-release (as Back to the Future has done), and is being released on August 27th, exclusively in 3D; ahead of the 3D Blu-ray release that may appear in 2011, but still doesn’t have an official release date; as the distributors are waiting for a wider distribution of 3DTV’s in homes, to ensure maximum sales.
