AVATAR Sequels Slated For 2016, 2017 And 2018! Cameron Enlists New Writers!! *BUT* Are They Really All Sequels??

...And then there was four! Of course there has been hints and conjecture about having 3 sequels before and now that's been confirmed with James Cameron's AVATAR sequels 2, 3 and 4 being officially announced by Fox -AND- we also have the slated release dates for said movies: December 2016, December 2017 and December 2018 (yes, blockbuster 2015 actually took a step backwards today!).

BUT will they all be sequels? Part of the "hints" that have been dropped have included James Cameron himself back in September of last year when he said: "Because when we drop in, even in the first film in AVATAR 1, as it will be known in the future, we’re dropping into a process that’s 35 years into a whole colonization. That will complete an arc and if that leads into more, we’ll start - not imitating STAR WARS, but it’s a logical thing to do because we’ll have completed the thematic arc by the end of (AVATAR 3). The only thing left to do is go back to see what it was like on those first expeditions and create some new characters that then become legacy characters in later films. It’s a plan."

"I have an idea for a fourth. I haven’t really put pen to paper on it, but basically it goes back to the early expeditions of Pandora, and kind of what went wrong with the humans and the Na’vi and what that was like to be an explorer and living in that world."

So as a fan of the AVATAR universe, don't always believe what is being reported without digging a bit further. This is still conjecture but I have my sources on it. I'll let you know when I find out.

All three massive movies will be shot at the same time alluding to a massive budget green light from the studio. It seems like a no-brainer after the original is the reigning king of the box time office at almost $2.8 billion, but make no mistake - it takes guts to pull a trigger this size.

But the chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos of Fox voiced nothing but confidence: "We at the studio have no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of Avatar. The growing breadth and scale of Jim Cameron’s plans for his magnificent fantasy worlds continue to amaze us all."

"The growing breadth and scale of Jim Cameron’s plans for his magnificent fantasy worlds continue to amaze us all." That warrants repeating!

To emphasize the increased scope of the franchise and the workload that must be completed before production begins next year, Cameron has hired some writers to assist in the undertaking, and the countdown IS ON.

Writers Josh Friedman (WAR OF THE WORLDS), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES) and Shane Salerno (SAVAGES) have all been tapped by the maestro of it all, Cameron.

Says Cameron: "Building upon the world we created with Avatar has been a rare and incredibly rewarding experience. In writing the new films, I’ve come to realize that Avatar’s world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent that two films would not be enough to capture everything I wanted to put on screen. And to help me continue to expand this universe, I’m pleased to bring aboard Amanda, Rick, Shane and Josh — all writers I’ve long admired –­ to join me in completing the films screenplays."

So where does this leave us? It's interesting and still very much speculative. Will there be a prequel as Cameron has said in the recent past. Are the writers all working on the movies or are they branching off to help build the universe further - case in point, the AVATAR novel that Cameron was said to be working on. I could go on, but the only real answers here is the commitment to dates, the number of movies and the budget green-light on these projects which could and probably will top $1 billion to get made.

Stay tuned for more info. I've got my ears to the same ground that dropped us huge bits of info for the original! Can't wait to hear more...

Sources: THR | Deadline

AVATAR 2 "Live Capture" Tests Shown At Siggraph

Lightstorm Entertainment's Producer Jon Landau (Here's part of why MarketSaw loves Jon!) was on hand at Siggraph last night to show off some early live capture, lighting and shadow tests they did for AVATAR 2. Apparently this work showed off some Na'vi and humans in a CG environment and was shot back in November. Obviously even the tech that James Cameron hopes to use is still very much a work in progress. It never stops in fact.

Still it's great to hear something new about AVATAR 2 from one of the guys deep in the know - Landau. He spent time with Autodesk's Motion Builder software showing off the newest advances in lighting and shadows.

The key to all this and the end benefit for Cameron and his team will be more meshing between more detailed imagery coming out of Motion Builder being sent directly to Weta (Peter Jackson's visual effects house) thereby improving productivity and approvals. Cameron wants to be able to light and shadow his virtual sets in real time and they are getting closer and closer to that eventuality.

Says Landau: "Ultimately our goal is to get to this on stage [for live capture]. This is going to allow Jim to light the scenes and make the process more efficient ... and focus on what is most important—the close up. Movies about storytelling."

AVATAR 2 is slated for a Christmas 2015 release and that could easily change.

Source: THR

Post Release Avatar News Medley!

Michael here with some Avatar morsels to tide everyone over until their next viewing of Cameron's masterpiece:
1. A new website - http://www.learnnavi.org/ - has appeared that aims to teach the Na'Vi language to people interested in learning the Paul Frommer-invented tongue.

The amount of work that went into both the language and this new site is very impressive. I love what we hear of the Na'vi language in the movie and the official soundtrack, and I am in awe of anyone who manages to learn to speak it. It's a truly beautiful language. I'll have to start studying!

Thanks to m4st4 for the heads up!
2. Avatar grossed $16.4 million on Monday, which is the #3 non-Holiday Monday of all time behind Pirates 2 and The Dark Knight. The incredible word of mouth is already letting its power be felt.

3. Cameron spoke with MTV about Avatar sequel plans:

Cameron made clear that the next film won't be a prequel, recounting previous backstory, but will begin after the events of the initial movie. "We'll follow Jake and Neytiri," he confirmed.

With Avatar's resounding box office success, the sequels are inevitable. And even better, Cameron promises they won't take nearly as long to make as the first Avatar:

"So now we have Jake, we have Neytiri. Sam can step right back into it, the characters will fit them like a glove, and we'll just go on. So a lot of the start-up torque that had to be done for one movie really makes more sense if you play it out across several films."

I wonder how long now until Cameron announces his next film?

Avatar: Na'vi description, Trailer Update and More

Michael here. People have been requesting a bit more detail regarding the look of the Na'vi and avatar characters. The same source who gave us that awesome reaction to the footage tells us about them below. He also gives the latest on the trailer from Cameron and provides some nice pictures and anecdotes from the festivities:

hey man,

Expo's over so finally have some time to give you a more detailed N'avi description.

The previous art is nothing like what the movie's N'avi ended up like. No blue lines, no floating (as far as I've seen).
The best description is luminescent (living) Blue tall people with a lot of Lion influences in the face.
They're about 10ft tall, so think more like double/triple the size of humans.
They all seem to have long hair in a braid and a tail best described as Lionesque (to connect to the Banshees or whatever they're called)
Their eyes are a lot bigger than human eyes, and bright yellow. It's also one of the features that most draws you into believing this world.
I saw the 'A Christmas Carol' footage and although it's an advancement from Beowulf, it's not an evolution from it because the muscles around the eyes and eyelids are still dead. They don't move, and really push the reality of it being mocap instead of people.
That just doesn't live. It's still very much a fantasy world created as a story device/enhancement. Avatar is more about the world where the story happens to take place. If that makes sense.

The clothing is very basic/tribal, so just cloths and belts.
Neytiri wore a beaded headband with beads down her forehand, reminding me a bit of indian/mayan headwear. Jake had a rifle gun, Na'vi sized which he parades around a lot in the first scenes described. Norm has a bag with him (probables with vials to take samples)

I was also asked about the glasses we wore during the presentation. I have them right here, they're the standard RealD 3D non colored glasses they use for cinema screenings around the world. I didn't find them taking anything away off the experience, it's just something you completely forget because you're so immersed in discovering the world displayed on screen.
We saw Ice Age 3D that morning with different glasses which used the 'old' red/green technology and those for me were a lot more disturbing.

Michael's note: The following material - from his experience at the after party - was included in the source's original email, but he just gave me the go-ahead to post it:

Cameron's wife says what I feel the best. "I took friends to the sets, they signed waivers and stuff. But really, when you would TRY to explain what you saw, you can't. It wont do justice to whatever you experienced or what they will when they see it." This movie is made of stuff we didn't think would happen for 10 years. This movie makes it possible.

Afterparty was amazing, talking with Cameron for about 10/15 minutes was just mindblowing. He is so proud of this movie and still handles it with great suave like he just folded a paper plane. I asked how long the movie is right now. He answered with, "I don't want too say how long. That implies it's TOO long. Epic is more of the right word."
He really shined when he told us how Steven Spielberg and Peter jackson are now working on TinTin with this and how he gave them to the studio for a week to 'play with it'. I am just mindbaffled how a genius like that can contain himself with something like this.

He told me he has a trailer, but isn't done with it. He wants it to showcase what the world is like, rather than impress with 3D because in his opinion most people will watch the trailer online.

He told me nobody had seen this stuff outside of production (even most of the studio flew down, I heard) and that he was truly happy to share this. When he saw the backdrop of the stage of the party with the artwork, he gasped and said "Whoa". When I joked he could take it home he said, "I wish, I just dont have walls big enough for it! ;) "
It was historic, and talking to the man afterwards was a true pleasure. Also Sam Worthington was flown in by private jet from the Clash of the Titans set so didn't attend the afterparty. Talking to Zoe Saldana at the party was cool too. She said during the presentation she wanted to create, "a fearless memorable action heroine" and when I told her she already did with Uhura, she actually became shy. Not hollywood shy, but very down to earth and said: "That makes me incredibly humble. I really want to thank you for saying that!". Then the convo turned to Amsterdam (i'm born and raised here) and she just seems so down to earth.

Seeing this today together with the real costumes, on-set footage and props from Burton's Alice in Wonderland made this such a day to remember.

The source also sent the following regarding the trailer:

Hey man,

Just heard from my contact that the cut of that trailer isn't final. It's what Cameron has now to give FOX an idea of the direction he wants to take the trailer. It was shown to fox execs at the Expo this morning. It'll be heavily tweaked and won't be expected until mid/end august to be shown online/cinema's etc.

I can tell you we saw 2 full scenes from A Christmas Carol that are 85% finished and everyone afterwards gushed on how Avatar is so completely beyond that mo-cap.

Thanks to "Sledgehammer" for the great reporting and after party pics!

Na'vi Hoax Deleted: New AVATAR Material Will Be Thoroughly Vetted

Wow I am disappointed in the new sources that have been sending in material (to say the least)! Well you know what? I don't need any new sources quite frankly. So with all new pending material coming in (and I get the stuff practically weekly) it will be considered garbage until totally cleared by all I know.

The only material I will post from this moment on without hesitation will be from my trusted sources. Sorry - but that is the way that cookie crumbles. We had a good thing going, but - like a really bad virus - there are a few swine out there.

And this is a clean site for the most part. Anyone coming in here and leaving comments using profanity or slinging mud will be banned. Period.

Thank you Debbie for the sane comment and for linking directly to the image (which is gorgeously done I might add).

Exclusive New Na'vi Photo: Final Version? Confirmation On Previous "Avatar" Images!

**Update Feb 2: You should know that Ain't It Cool News has verified this image as legit through their own sources.

I've decided to post the original photo (on left: probably a small camera photo) from my source so that anyone can play with it to see if they can improve the quality. I am also working to try and get a better resolution image - keep in mind that this source is also very smart - he is being very careful. Good thing he loves keeping audiences salivating!

Also - here is a spruced up image from Ludovic Celle in France (on right: yes - AVATAR is a worldwide phenomenon; believe me when I say I get just as much emails and interest from international readers than from North America) who has taken much of the pixelation out of it.

Send me your enhanced photo and if it is the best out there - I will post it.

Jim here. In keeping with MarketSaw's tradition of being the best site on earth for all things AVATAR - I was speaking to a very interesting contact within the AVATAR production and he has some confirmations for us about previous photos from the set. While this is someone who I have spoken with in the past, this is the first material from him. I DO TRUST him however - so enjoy. Hopefully Fox doesn't ask me to remove it!

More importantly, he provided what I think is the first authentic, FINAL rendition of what the Na'vi will look like - provided by this source who is definitely in a position to know.

Here is what he had to say about the Na'vi:
...their faces are very very reminiscent of Jen the Gefling in the Dark Crystal...(but with a hare lip). They are beautiful, not sexy, just graceful. The problems the boss is facing with the CG is getting the 'graceful' right. Oh, and the whole 'Uncanny Valley' thing.... the view back across it looks amazing from where I am standing.

So it sounds as though Cameron's somewhat recent distaste for what has been accomplished in AVATAR's photo realism is now tempered down to ensuring that his creatures are graceful - which is very important for the illusion of being real. This is good news to me! If the quality of the rendering is there and they are now focusing on movement - the movie is almost there!

Confirmation of previous AVATAR photos: "I can confirm that this photo does have multiple props from varying sets." He goes further to describe what the bed actually is: "On closer inspection it looks like it is from the Bio Lab, not overly sure of its purpose (...he did not work in this area). As will become apparent when you see the finished product, there are many many many different types of 'beds'. Birthing bed / hospital gurney / incinerator gurney / medivac chamber / sleep chamber / transport chamber..." He also says that "the gurney for space travel is normally upright, wall mounted, to save valuable ($1,000,000 per Kg) space on those long space voyages."

So I therefore believe that the chamber in the photo is for AVATAR connection between human and Na'vi. That's my final answer Regis.

He also absolutely confirms that the circular area behind Cameron in the official photo is the military COMMAND CENTER.

FURTHER, he confirms that this image of a military man holding an exotic AVATAR weapon is authentic. Not too surprising as Fox hasn't asked for it's removal. Seems if the photos are real, they let them stay up.

My source also sent along another image from a crew t-shirt - same logo as we have seen before, but this time in a different color.

He goes on to tell us why our enthusiam is well justified: "I have worked on many 'big' films, and normally working on a film ruins the 'magic.' You go and see the film and your inside knowledge affects the way you see the finished result "I remember that, a crane was holding that up with a forklift etc etc".....BUT... The finished shots I have seen gave me goose pimples. Seriously, just try to think how blown away you were by the first time you saw Star Wars, then multiply it by 50. Then double it. Only then will you be 1% closer to appreciating how good this is going to be."

More spoilers: The silhouette on the crew t-shirt, I can confirm is a 'Ray. (The air battle between the rays and Samsons will make quiver with excitement...think ewoks vs the empire, but done right.)

The last photo here I added more contrast and sharpened it up a bit to allow us to see some more detail. The original photo he sent me was very small.

So what do you think of what certainly seems to be a final version of what the Na'vi FEMALE looks like? :-) Are you STOKED?

AVATAR Source: Teaser Clip Being Readied For Early December AND Our Exclusive Images Confirmed!

Jim here. A lot of excitement has been generated over the past few days about AVATAR and what is happening with this project. Security has been extremely tight, but that has never stopped us before right?

And so, I have been in contact with another source of mine (in a position to know) and he/she assures me of the following items:

1. The recent concept art from Jonay is not representative of what the Na'vi look like today and was his own work. Ok, fair enough - Jonay was clear about them being a way of getting a position with them and not the real deal. This also backs up this claim.
2. The silhouette version of the female Na'vi and the zoomed in close up of the male Na'vi in this exclusive high resolution shot ARE real. We should expect the female Na'vi to be extremely attractive to most, but the males will be very sinister and dark.
3. Ney'tiri herself will be exceptionally attractive and sexy.
4. James Cameron WILL HAVE a a video teaser ready for early December and it will have visual effects and CGI! We are not certain if it will be shown before Day The Earth Stood Still (DTESS), but the actual footage portion will be 2 minutes and 15 seconds long. I am guessing that the additional time will be filled with perhaps Cameron talking about the project and how awesome it will be, or even past box office successes from Cameron - we all know that the teaser containers said 3 minutes and 57 seconds. Or we could actually see the full 3:57 - the big message here is that we should expect to see this teaser. I still am hazarding a guess for the 3D Summit in LA or a teaser trailer for DTESS.
5. Weta is having a hard time pleasing Cameron on pieces of AVATAR. JC sometimes doesn't like what he sees (we know this already about him - he is a perfectionist) so Weta struggles at times with it. Not overly surprising, but still - Weta knows what they are doing!
6. Cameron has a great marketing plan in mind - no one knows what it is yet though!
7. The AVATAR footage that Jon Favreau saw was 90% pre visuals.

Interesting stuff! Nice to hear that the silhouette and high resolution zoom of the Na'vi is REAL. Many of you thought that Weta has borrowed something from KING KONG for the design of this sinister creature - you may be bang on. Apparently the Ney'tiri character will be a knock out and will be talked about a lot by guys everywhere! And how about seeing that teaser - he assures us that a large block of special effects and CGI has been readied for early December! Peculiar that he says that is only 2:15m, but hey lots of things could be put in to round it up to almost 4m. Man I hope it is revealed at the 3D Entertainment Summit, but it looks as though DTESS will be the vehicle to launch the first official teaser trailer based on the clip being ready in December.

I have asked some follow up questions and I will let you know more when I do... I hope this guy/gal continues to send us stuff, because the insight into AVATAR is amazing.

Can It Get Any Better? Concept Art: Na'vi Riding Some Sort Of Beast

**FINAL UPDATE Nov 22: Read what happened with these images here.

** UPDATE Nov 22: I am removing this content at the request of the copyright holder. More details to follow.

Another one! Jim here with yet another awesome pencil drawing of a Na'vi riding some sort of beast - the animal is a mere outline though unfortunately! She definitely looks to be in a saddle of sorts though...

Wow! More AVATAR Concept Art From Na'vi Artist Uncovered!

**FINAL UPDATE Nov 22: Read what happened with these images here.

**UPDATE Nov 22: I am removing this content at the request of the copyright holder. More details to follow.

James Cameron's AVATAR: The First Authentic Concept Art Of Pandora's Na'vi!

**FINAL UPDATE Nov 22: Read what happened with these images here.

**UPDATE Nov 22: I am removing this content at the request of the copyright holder. More details to follow.

**SAME DAY UPDATE #2: * Check out these fresh new images just in today! More from the same artist!

**SAME DAY UPDATE: And here we go!! Thanks to Liam who left a comment pointing to this link for the video! It is in Spanish and has the actual concept artist being interviewed - here is his photo too! Hope he doesn't get into too much trouble - but hey, it's the Interwebs right??

CONTENT REMOVED AT REQUEST OF COPYRIGHT HOLDER

AVATAR Na'vi Unveiled? How The Heck Did We Miss This One??

WHOA. Thanks to reader "Hector" who sent in this this golden nugget:

"I can see a na'vi creature on the picture of the set, is right to the thing that has L8 written on it, and is close to the curtain. It has red hair, blue skin and seems very tall, it's visible just from waist up!"

Awesome find Hector! Jeez how did we miss that? The boys on the AVATAR production crew must be getting a laugh at our expense - but now we have a little something going on! I have also tried to enhance the image somewhat below - again, if someone with a better touch than I can enhance that shot - send it over! Again, the hi rez shot can be downloaded here (click 'download' above the image).

What do you guys make of this first ever glimpse of a Na'vi? Awesome or what? Finally a glimpse!! Click images for blow ups...

Is this a mannequin or a live actor walking out to The Volume? Is it male or female? Those look like breasts to me - or is it just the 'vest' sticking out? Now imagine it with a tail from this authenticated silhouette image. And Hector is right - this Na'vi is damn tall just as was thought from the original scriptment. Using the 8 foot ladder in front of the curtain as a reference - just follow the fold line on the curtain across to the Na'vi and it has got to be 8.5 feet to 9 feet tall!

It's looking pretty damn creepy! I don't know about you, but I am getting those familiar Bill Paxton "We’re all gonna die, game over man, game over." feelings about this one!

Avatar Exclusive! Na'vi character design first look!

Hey everyone, Michael here with the FIRST EVER peek at Avatar character artwork that can be CONFIRMED to originate from within the production!

This above design is on the back of a t-shirt that was raffled off to various Avatar crew members by actor Sam Worthington. This is the same t-shirt that was spotted on the set of Star Trek last December.

Check out the front title text of the shirt here, with "AVATAR" written in red:

The Na'vi character on the shirt is portrayed in silhouette, much like the bansheeray design Marketsaw revealed back in May. Despite the masking of details, lots of awesome character details can be seen:

1. Check out the bow and arrows she is carrying!

2. Are those two points on the top of the head part of some kind of head dress? Or do the Na'vi simply have catlike ears?

3. It seems as though the Na'vi have three toes.

4. By looking at the shoulders, a piece of the character's hunting attire / armor can be spotted!

Based on its svelte figure, this particular Na'vi appears to be female. Could this be Ney'tiri (played by Zoe Saldana) we are looking at? If so, this could be the first partial look at a new headlining James Cameron character! I have no doubt that Avatar has the potential to introduce characters that will be ranked alongside, if not above, the classic characters and creatures of Cameron's past films.

With Avatar's release still 17 months away, let us hope that Cameron and Fox pull back the curtains more soon. Can you even imagine how awesome and awe-inspiring that first teaser trailer will be? I have goosebumps just thinking about it.

Also, what do you all make of the cool design surrounding the Na'vi silhouette? At a distance it resembled some kind of scorpion creature, but in close up the design is more abstract.

Could it be some kind of Na'vi symbol or artwork? Perhaps an insignia of some kind? Post your thoughts below!

"Avatar" Na'vi Motion Capture Suits Analysis: Location For Tail Spotted !!

My source and I went through some more of his photos of the "Avatar" wardrobe room that show slightly different angles and discovered what we believe to be where the Na'vi's tail is attached during performance capture in "The Volume" (an area which is surrounded with cameras capturing the actors movements and facial expressions). Look for the red circle in the first image. I have attached the original high res shots as well - click to enlarge (large files!)

Further, my source points out that the motion capture suits above the main rack are for CHILDREN. Lots of them!! So again, children play are a factor in a James Cameron movie - which I think will add that extra layer of tension. That also means that there will be a very large chance of ALIEN NA'VI CHILDREN AS WELL in the movie! It'll be great to see how Cameron pull off younger aliens too... Man is he having fun with this one.

We will get you some more "Avatar" pics as soon as we can! Nobody else is doing it, so we'll pick up the slack!! :-)

Na'vi Alien Language Incorporated In "Avatar" Music Soundtrack

Another breaking story from your source for all things Avatar!

One of my better known sources (to me anyway!) just tipped me on what is happening with the soundtrack for the movie - read on intrepid James Cameron fans!

We have known for some time now that James Horner has been attached to "Avatar" to deliver the soundtrack for the epic 3D sci-fi.

But what we didn't know was that they have been at it for some time now - since July of last year! The task at hand has been to create music for the alien race that resides on the planet Pandora called the Na'vi. The Na'vi have their own language and yes, it has been created just for this movie. In fact, James Horner has been hard at work meshing in this newly developed language into his soundtrack for the movie! The singers must get the pronunciations just right.

Horner has been working with at least 5 singers to accomplish this feat for the movie sequences and it seems that they have been very successful - most of that integration has been completed. The singers have been awe of Horner in how much of a visionary he is and how productive he can be in completing an obviously challenging task.

Music is such a key component to James Cameron's films. Think Titanic. I may get some comments to the contrary, but I really think that Celine Dion's mega-watt performance of "My Heart Will Go On" is one of the best, if not THE best song ever attached to a movie. Honestly, I can't imagine what that alien language is going to sound like but I can say without a doubt, that the music, language and the integration into the movie is going to be out of this world. And I don't mean that as a pun!

James Cameron's "Avatar" Secrets Revealed: Warning Spoilers !

**UPDATED (March 4th): Just wanted to clarify that until Cameron comes out and states otherwise, the original thought was that "Avatar" would be about 60% CGI. You can see the outdoor green screens here and here; they look ENORMOUS. However, there is a large live action component as well that Cameron must feel deserves the detailed set treatment - mainly interior shots it appears. Also it wouldn't take much to move the Biolabs from inside to the exterior green scene to create the environment. I also wanted to say that we don't know if they are creating life sized plants for this movie - though it would make sense to do so in some cases. Many flora shots would be CGI - my source was referring to "how others had the whole communication thing explained to them" by the powers at be. So whether it is exposed to the audience in a scientific way (sort of how in "Jurassic Park" they explained how they retrieved the DNA from dinosaurs) or whether they plan on "suspending belief" of the audience (i.e. unexplained) remains to be seen. Either way, it is an awesome premise and BEGS my curiosity. One thing is certain - science plays an interesting role in this movie; whether they keep the "theory" behind various communication techniques in a black box or expose it like in Jurassic Park is a guess at this point! My conjecture would be that Grace (Sigourney Weaver) explains it to someone and the audience (of course) listens in. If you want the details, highlight the white text below as it does contain spoilers.

Well I told ya it was coming and here it is. Exclusive Avatar news you can't get anywhere else. Now a small caveat here: These notes are from a while back and some things may have changed during filming, but what has been noted DID EXIST at one point and these notes are authentic:

Got some VERY interesting news from one of my "Avatar" sources that was involved with getting this 3D motion picture made. AWESOME news in fact. In fact, you may not want to read this as there are definite mini-spoilers in this that may affect your viewing pleasure.

**SPOILERS BELOW** Highlight the white text below to read the contents:

My source was very clear on a number of things including some of the basis for the movie as well as how things looked inside the production buildings:

1. "Avatar" production set:

ON SHIPS:

There were hundreds of workers building the sets for Avatar - MDF was being thrown around like candy to make the sets as realistic as possible - and it was very successful. The transport ships for instance achieved a "matte steel appearance" that was undetectable. Those transport ships look pretty much like the new Battlestar Gallactica transports, but much bigger - like ten times bigger. These sets filled the interior of the set buildings in Wellington - to the rafters. All very real looking and NOT scaled down - it was all life size.

ON THE MESS HALL BUILDING:
This is mainly where the security forces interior scenes were shot. It was large (30 x 30 feet) made to look like steel construction with only a few windows to view the outside world. The feeling that was conveyed with this structure was that the soldiers were trying to bring their own home with them to this alien planet Pandora, and ignore what was happening outside - kind of like what happens when soldiers are deployed overseas today and they set up coffee shops, etc to keep from feeling terribly homesick. On the wall of the mess hall was a large US flag that takes up half the space - something like 10 x 15 feet) - this could indicate political overtones for the movie.

ON OTHER BUILDINGS:
There were other buildings being made that were for science related things. My source only saw these labs from the outside and they seemed very true to their nature. I spoke to some other workers and they said that they look like typical laboratories - one larger lab (about 30 x 30 feet) and one mobile lab (which was about 6 x 15 feet). Sigourney Weaver's character who plays Grace in "Avatar" spends a lot of time in a control room in the bigger one.

2. "Avatar" Story Basics:
ON THE ANIMALS:
Apparently the animals can communicate with the plants of Pandora, but my source was kind of hazy on that. Not only that, but the native Na'vi inhabitants take their own hair and weave it into the hair of Pandora's animals and can communicate that way to them!

ON THE PLANTS:
Many workers were talking about how they are using LED lights to show how plants "talk" to other plants on the planet. They use these lights to show how electrons move back and forth between plants through their root system. Again - my source didn't know much more than that. However, if you examine the plants in the photo here - you can see the luminosity that is being spoken of that seems to be present not only in the plants but also in the Na'vi natives of Pandora.

ON THE AVATARS:
A lot of speculation was taking place on the set about how the Avatar chambers work. This is where humans link up with their native avatars to kind of take over their bodies. The chambers were really very cool and if you can picture the cryo chambers in the Alien movies, take those and put them upright with a darker appearance. I suspect that Sigourney Weaver's Grace plays a key role in discovering the crucial communication methods and applying them to humans.


**SPOILERS ABOVE** Highlight the white text above to read the contents:

One can see a progression here of humans encountering this awesome alien communication system and then taking that idea, studying how it is done in the labs and then applying it to human to Na'vi avatar communication. At least that is my thoughts on it. Wow. This movie is going to really redefine the theater going experience! A great story, awesome effects and all in 3D. Man am I psyched. I also want to add that taking photos of the sets was impossible - so none are available (so far anyway).

Hopefully we will see some exciting new promo materials from Jim Cameron as also exclusively uncovered by my "Avatar" sources in the coming weeks...
As always, I will post new info as I receive it - unless the sensitivity is too extreme and my source asks me to hold back somewhat. This post for instance is missing some truly cool stuff but I cannot divulge it due to the fact it would closely label just who my source in this case is. Let's put it this way: I am smiling a lot more today... :-)

First two images courtesy of HDVideoPro

Avatar Crew T-Shirt Reveals Alien Details: Is it Legit?

Hey Avatar fans! Got another exclusive bit of news here for ya! Don't know for sure if the T-Shirt is authentic or not, but we are definitely leaning toward the positive as it was not seen on Hollywood boulevard, but rather on the new Star Trek set! (Ok, yeah, I am working on some Trek inside news too - we shall see!)

So while my insider was on set, he saw a dude working there with the following Avatar crew T-shirt:
1. FRONT: All black T-Shirt with AVATAR written in red.
2. BACK: A white Na'vi silhouette holding a spear-like weapon with a large solid gray silhouette image of a multi-legged, scorpion-like creature lying below it.
3. The Na'vi image "has similar proportions, tale size/width, etc of the hi-res concept art we've seen, so if anything changed it's in the details, facial features/body stripe patterns, etc."

That is some pretty interesting stuff. Unverified, but definitely in the right place if it is authentic. I'm am trying hard to get pics of the shirt, or better yet, get my OWN shirt.

It is interesting that the image on the back of the Na'vi concept art is practically the same I exposed here on MarketSaw that 20th Century Fox ordered me me immediately retract. What the hell? Why would Jim Cameron say it is not authentic if his own crew is parading around in them? Note that the representations on the T-Shirt were silhouettes only - no details, just outlines, but heck - what the hell is up with that?

Hope to hear more from my "Star Trek" friend real soon!

Digg This!

Breaking News: Ney'tiri Exposed? Avatar's Sexy and 3D Creature !

Update (Nov 27): There is some confusion over the image that Fox requested that I remove and the creature image that remains on this blog. The email from Fox only linked to ONE image and that was of the much higher resolution and quality photo. I therefore removed that one. The remaining image is of much lower quality and probably not a reflection of any one character (as the removed one may be). That lower quality image remains until if and when Fox asks for its demise as well.

Welllllll now. It was apparently a very REAL image of what the creatures look like in Avatar. Fox has requested that I immediately remove the image and I am complying with their wish.

I cannot provide any further links to this image, and cannot discuss the content of it any further. For all those that have asked for this info - my hands are tied!

Here is the email from Fox:

FOX wrote:

Attention: Marketsaw.com

To Whom It May Concern:

On behalf of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and/or its subsidiaries and affiliated companies (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Fox"), it has come to our attention that an image of a character purportedly associated with Fox's yet to be released motion picture, "Avatar" has been posted on your website at http://marketsaw.blogspot.com/, without authorization from Fox.

We must demand that you immediately remove the image at issue (link to photo) from your website and cease and desist from all other actives in connection with this image.

Please confirm via e-mail that you will immediately comply with our request.

Sincerely,

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Intellectual Property Department

Avatar Na'vi

Well, well, well. Apparently there has been another leak from the James Cameron production for the upcoming Memorial Day 2009 blockbuster, Avatar!

An alien of some sort is pictured here with glowing features and I would wager that it is female. The image is truly distorted but obviously you cannot show a clear 3D image in 2 dimensions so what did you expect? Sure looks creepy though. Sure looks like she has a tail too - look closely...

Remember that James Cameron's Fusion 3D technology allows him to see an image in real-time (although at a 1980's video game resolution) as it is being shot - a huge benefit for him and the performance capture actors. I would wager a second time that this image is from that process - just simply a screen capture from the camera's system without any processing by WETA. It is awesome if this is the case, as you can see that Cameron can actually view the background as it interacts with the actors! Saves a heckuva lot of time for him and the production of Avatar. I wonder if this creature is the Na'vi? If it is, then this would be the species that would actually become the avatars for the humans on Pandora... Interesting! See the original scriptment for the movie here.

This image was sent into JoBlo.com by a steathy spy. Why not send it to MarketSaw next time dude? ;-) I like surprises, especially when it comes to Avatar...

James Cameron's Avatar Scriptment Info...

For those that are interested! Here is a review of the original scriptment for Avatar that is years old. Remember this will obviously have changed by now, but it does color the film somewhat. Enjoy!

We begin on planet Earth a hundred years hence, and it's pretty depressing. The planet's ecosystem has been so exploited by humankind that it can barely even shelter us any longer. Stripmining, air pollution, and every other form of exploitation and abuse have lead to mankind living in a tired world. "A cross between THX-1138 and a Calcutta train station," says the scriptment.

Because we've used up all Earth's resources (and apparently recycling techniques haven't advanced much) many companies are looking to the rest of the galaxy for new resources, and there's no extraterrestrial locale richer in resources than Pandora. Sure, pillaging Pandora has its problems (it's five light-years away and its atmosphere is toxic for humans to breathe) but its billions and billions of dollars worth of a (fictitious) superconducter called unobatainium make those hurdles well worth jumping over. There's a joint-venture of companies called the RDA who have a massive colony on Pandora to mine for unobtainium, as well as Pandora's many other resources.

Josh Sully (mid-twenties), is a disllusioned war vet, paralyzed from some meaningless war a few years back. (Spinal medicine apparently hasn't advanced much, either. Like much of science fiction - including even Star Trek - Avatar is frustratingly selective about how and where our technology has advanced.) Because he happens to have genes which are useful to the RDA, Josh ultimately finds himself making the three-year trip to Pandora to work on the Avatar program.

Pandora's most sentient race is called the Na'vi, and the RDA has a way to communicate with them. They grow Na'vi bodies and then those bodies are controlled externally by, well, "controllers". The controllers wear a headset called the link, and their human bodies are effectively unconscious while commandeering their Na'vi avatar. (Only a small percentage of humans have genes which allow for an Avatar body to be grown for them, and Josh is needed because he's in the minority.)

So Josh and the new crew from Earth awaken from suspended animation and arrive at the RDA's Pandora colony. It's run by Selfridge, an efficient company man wholly dedicated to the RDA. He also oversees the compound's massive, highly-trained military force, SECFOR, which is run mostly by Colonel Quaritch, a military man through-and-through who loves blood and hates life....especially Pandoran life.

Josh also meets Grace, who is both an Avatar and the compound's "xenobotanist". After he defends himself against her cynicism and insults, Grace takes to Josh and eventually becomes his mentor. (In the film, Grace will be the head of the entire Avatar program.)

So Josh begins life as a Na'vi. Their bodies are very human-like - they're bipedal and with similar faces - but they're blue, 10-feet tall, and evoke a feline impression, complete with a tail. Also, the Na'vi are much stronger, faster, and more agile than humans. At first, Josh is just happy to be walking again.

The Avatar program is just a small part of the RDA's Pandoran operation, there's a palpable tension between those in the Avatar program and everybody else. While most of the people at Hell's Gate (the RDA compound) are just mindless labor or system-dependant troops, the Avatar controllers are described sort of like a pack of stoners, high on the experience of living as a Na'vi. Says the scriptment, "They are a scruffy, smelly lot...with unkempt hair and beards and poor appetites."

When you put these two types of people together....something's bound to snap.

During an early venture into the beautiful but ultra-lethal Pandoran wilderness, one of the trigger-happy troops is about to fire at Grace's Avatar. Josh, now comfortable in his Avatar body, manhandles the troop (like a "ragdoll") and this doesn't exactly help in easing the tension between the two groups.

Later, on a seperate venture into Pandora, Josh gets seperated from the rest of the Avatars and finds himself having to fend for himself in the ultra-savage Pandoran wilderness. This is like putting a three year-old out in the middle of the worst jungles of Africa and expecting him to survive. The only way to survive in Pandora is knowledge, and Josh is still a novice.

But he's brave. After witnessing a manticore ("This thing could eat a T-Rex and have the Alien for dessert") scarf down a titanothere (like a rhino, only bigger and faster), Josh is then attacked by a pack of viperwolves ("Wolves as painted by Francis Bacon") and is saved by somebody who has a lot of knowledge of Pandora: Zuleika, the princess of the local Na'vi tribe. (How does she look? Well, when was the last time you saw an ugly princess in a Hollywood movie?)

Like Grace, Josh gets through Zuleika's tough exterior because she's inspired by his bravery and feistiness.

So Zuleika takes Josh back to her village, showing him the infinite mysteries of the Pandoran ecosystem. (It's like listening to a Greenpeace fanatic talk about Earth.) Josh meets the tribe, including Zuleika's parents, and begins the spiritual transformation from human to Na'vi. He feels "right" as a Na'vi.

(The scriptment makes clear in numerous places that the Na'vi are analogs for the Native Americans and their culture emobodies all of the traits that we descendants of European Christendom most romanticize about the Native Americans: a close community, a connection to the spiritual world, and, most of all, harmony with nature. And in Pandora, the spirtual world and nature are synonymous.

(In keeping with this analogy, the RDA is openly modeled after the European settlers.)

In the following days, Josh and Zuleika's bond grows and there's an elaborate montage of Josh fully learning the ways of the Na'vi and how to surivive in Pandora. He's a natural amongst them, and far more intuitive than the other science-minded Avatars. And more courageous, too.

Because of this, Josh is the first Avatar that the Na'vi invite into their ritualistic sturmbeest hunt (i.e., a buffalo hunt squared). This is where the important concept of "queueing" comes into play. Most Pandoran creatures have an external nerve which acts as an input port to their brains. The Na'vi have the output, called their queue, which enables them to jack into the animals and commandeer them. (The Na'vi queue looks like a ponytail, with the hair being functional nerves.)

After the sturmbeest hunt (where Josh again proves his courageous mettle), he partakes in the Na'vi's festive celebration. Afterwards, Zuleika takes Josh to her special place in the forest and they make love.

The next day, the real trouble begins. Selfridge unexpectedly bulldozes a large section of the Na'vi forest, including sacred land. Josh and Grace, in human form, argue against this new construction, especially in light of the new potential Josh's bonding with the Na'vi has created. But Selfridge and the troops are sick of the Avatar program (presumably jealous of them), and the bulldozing continues the next day. This time, Powersuit-armed troops accompany the bulldozers, killing anything that moves. Powersuits, as their name suggests, are massive robotic soots that dramatically improve the troops size, speed, strength, etc.

Josh realizes that there's no reasoning with Selfridge or the system-worshipping troops and bureaucrats beneath him, so he seeks assistance from his fellow controllers, trying to arrange some sort of coup. "Pandora is not Hell, it's Eden. And Eden is being bulldozed and stripmined and raped. We have no right. We are the aliens here. We are the space monsters".

The Avatar controllers might have free minds but, alas, they're non-committal.

That's cool. Because it's not like the Na'vi were responding to the foreign aggression with sing-ins and picket signs. Led by Tsu Te, their greatest warrior, the Na'vi sabotage the RDA's construction equipment, destroying it with a napalm-like incendiary.

The next day Selfridge orders a retaliatory raid and Quaritch and his troops love it. They hop into their powersuits and raid the Na'vi with an assault that makes Haditha or My Lai look like a schoolyard scuffle. Countless Na'vi are killed, including the tribe's patriach (Zuleika's father), and many others are taken prisoner....including Zuleika.

Selfridge has also shut down the Avatar program, physically turning off the link equipment. But Josh, Grace, and several others head to Site 26, an auxiliary link facility. On the way, Grace takes a bullet, and her human body ultimately dies.

After re-linking to his Avatar, Josh goes to the Na'vi and helps them orchestrate a rescue of their imprisoned friends. (There's nothing especially clever about this rescue: they get in under cover of the RDA's tractors and protect themselves from the automated sentry guns by wearing employee's identifying badges.)

As the Na'vi are fleeing the facility, Quaritch and the rest of the troops discover what's happened and they Powersuit up and chase the Na'vi into the forest. The Na'vi, though, utterly destroy the troops, killing many of them brutally. Quaritch, the bloodthirsty trooper, is left dumbstruck at the defeat of his team. "What the hell is happening. They just go their asses kicked by bows and arrows?"

This episode prompts a formal declaration of war from Selfridge: the Na'vi are all to be killed, as are the renegade controllers.

And Josh is rallying the Na'vi with no less enthusiasm. He gives his best Henry V speech. Here's an excerpt:

"He tells them they are not just fighting for this part of the forest or these few trees, but for the very future of their world. He says the history [of the humans]....is one of blood. For as long as can be remembered, they take what is not theirs.... Their world, their forest, is a dying place. A poisoned place. They have killed their mother. And they will do the same here. They must be driven away. When they come again they will come with all their force, and we must be ready. We must fight, to our last breath...."

After speech, Grace's Na'vi body miraculously appears. (Her human body had been killed, remember.) Grace, now living exclusively as a Na'vi, explains the wholistic wonders of the Pandoran ecosystem. Pandora, the planet itself, is essentially a brain, its tress are the neurons, their roots its synapses. The humans and their troops were a cancer for Pandora, and so it used its resources (the animal and the plants) to cleanse itself of the cancer. Lastly (and this will be important later), Pandora can sometimes do a "soul transfer", put one consciousness into another body (where the Na'vi keep their spare bodies, I don't know), and it chose to save Grace's soul in this manner.

Josh then has all the Na'vi queue into the planet itself so that he can explain to Pandora the magnitude of the danger the humans present. He tells her about the Navajo and the Sioux, and how their treaties and their trust was betrayed, as will Pandora be betrayed if she trusts the humans.

Pandora listens.

The next day, Selfridge and Quaritch begin the epic war that will later be called the Battle of the Big Rock Candy Mountain.

The first part of the battle is in the air between thousands of queued Na'vi riding bansheerays and leonyptertyx (savage, hawk-like predators with wingspans of perhaps 30 meters) against dozens of humans vehicles, which all have VTOL ability. Most of the human ships are destroyed in a hydrogen explosion when a massive hydrogen-based bug is detonated.

While the air battle rages, dozens of troops in Powersuits raid the forest, as well. Here, the Na'vi have the help of all of Pandora's creatures, which the planet has directed against the humans.

Now these two interconnected battles are too dense with events for me to explain here. Suffice to say, the Pandorans eventually come ou ton top.

The battle climaxes in a fight between Josh (as a Na'vi, of course) fighting Colonel Quaritch in a Powersuit. Josh eventually gets Quaritch out of the suit. Quaritch flees back to the base on foot but is chased down by a pack of viperwolves.

And that's it for the Battle of the Big Rock Candy Mountain.

All the surviving humans are rounded up - including Selfridge - and shipped back to the command ship in Pandora's orbit. Josh bluffs to them that Pandora is developing an extremely potent antibody for humans in its atmosphere, and if they return they will all certainly die.

That night, the Na'vi gather in a chant, queued into the planet itself. Josh's human and Avatar bodies lie side by side. His rebreather is removed from his human body, insuring its death. Zuleika kisses him....and his Na'vi eyes open."

Text in green above from David Brennan.