Comic-Con: “James Cameron gives fans a lengthy look at ‘Avatar’”
More from Comic-Con where the LA Times “Hero Complex” blog offers this report:
It’s his first commercial film since “Titanic,” and judging by the 25-minute preview unveiled at Comic-Con,
James Cameron’s “Avatar” will be every bit the spectacle as his Oscar-winning film from 1997.
The animated “Avatar” is set on a distant, lush planet called Pandora, a super-saturated world filled with 1,000-foot trees, exotic, near fluorescent forests, fearsome predators and an indigenous people known as the Na’vi — tall, blue humanoids who are peaceful until provoked. The story revolves around the war between the Na’vi and the human military invading their world.
Let’s not forget, this is an original movie, not something based on a comic book, graphic novel, or Baby Boomer toy.
After the screening, it was clear cast members Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Stephen Lang had become as immersed and invested in Pandora as the filmmaker himself, speaking of the Na’vi as though they were a historical fact.
A professor at USC worked two years on develop their language, and Saldana said all the actors had to take movement classes to “de-humanize” themselves. She also trained in Wushu, horseback riding, archery and weightlifting to play Na’vi princess Neytiri.
Said Cameron: “We know the oncology and composition of the atmosphere, the geography and species of plants, the culture and the history of the Na’vi people.”
Talk about going into the story! Another report on Avatar here.
And here is the enigmatic teaser trailer for the movie: