Japan Earthquake Could Hurt 'Avatar 2' and James Cameron's Epic Underwater Dive

As Japan struggles to recover from this month's devastating earthquake and tsunami, the tragic natural disaster is casting another Hollywood production into jeopardy. Last week we reported that Guillermo Del Toro's monster movie 'Pacific Rim' could be facing rewrites to eliminate scenes of Japan being devastated by giant monsters. Now comes today's news that the aftereffects of the 9.0 magnitude quake could delay James Cameron's 'Avatar 2.'

Coming Attractions got the exclusive scoop from a trusted source who says that Cameron's well-documented plans to build a submersible to take him to the bottom of the Mariana Trench are now in danger. The filmmaker planned to study lifeforms in the deepest part of the ocean for inspiration for creatures in the sequel to the highest grossing film of all-time, and to shoot 3D footage for use in the film.

Those plans are now being reconsidered. The mammoth earthquake that shook the region (and moved the coast of Japan a whopping eight feet) has undoubtedly changed the landscape beneath the sea, but more importantly, aftershocks are still happening – and could continue for several years.

CA's source says those potential aftershocks are what could derail Cameron's plans – which is expensive bad news for the filmmaker, who had commissioned an Australian team to build a state-of-the-art submersible that could get him to the Challenger Deep safely. At 36,000 feet, it's the deepest spot on the planet. The submersible is already halfway to completion.

The problem is that with the threat of aftershocks and the inherent danger of traveling to those depths in the first place (it's a mile deeper than Everest is high, and the pressure is eight tonnes per square inch) there's not likely a liability insurer who will take on the risk. No liability insurance? No trip to the depths of the Trench.

If that turns out to be the case, Cameron will be forced to come up with a new way to explore Pandora's oceans in 'Avatar 2' – or he could just wait a decade until things have calmed down beneath the sea and then go and get his footage. We wouldn't be surprised if the latter path was the one he chose...

Kidding aside, what do you guys think? With the advent of computer technology, it seems like Cameron could easily create an underwater world without risking his life traveling to the depths of the ocean floor. Would you rather he just do that or would you prefer to wait for the next film so that he can implement that footage into his feature even if it means 'Avatar 2' is delayed for several years? Weigh the options in our comment section.

Avatar director James Cameron to take on Japan tsunamis

Oscar winner is building a submarine to explore the world's deepest underwater trench… that and the Avatar sequels

Critically-acclaimed director James Cameron talked about the difficulties he faced in technically developing his mastermind film, ‘Avatar’, while looking the future of technology across all mediums and how it could one day even buffer the devastation that Japan currently, and Indonesia earlier, faced in wake of the earthquake and the corresponding Tsunami.

In a candid chat with James Murdoch, CEO and Chairman of News Corporation, Asia and Europe, at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Media Summit, Cameron – who is also a deep-sea explorer – revealed that he is currently mounting a submarine expedition to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean, which should see him set off one year from now.

“We are in the process of building submarine to go to the Mariana trench, which is around 11,000 metres under water,” said Cameron.

“The idea is to understand what is happening down there, to get data and conduct seismic surveys there so we can avoid another Indonesia and Japan.”

Cameron stressed on the urgent need of technology in our daily lives, from deep sea exploration to the big screen.

“Creating ‘Avatar’ starting me thing from a technological point of view,” he said. “I was not just a filmmaker but the CEO of Digital Domain and the company’s biggest client. What I wanted was a quantum leap forward but I was told it was too early to conceptualize my ideas. So I had to box the idea away and wait for 10 years.”

“’Avatar’s’ 3D technological advancement took painstaking work, which including Cameron and his team conceptualizing a special face camera that could capture every nuance of every expression.

The director explained: “The audience had to be moved by the characters to ensure its success, not by just great visual vistas but rather tight face close-ups. We had to capture every finer nuance.

“We knew how to capture everybody performance, but we had no idea how to capture every facial performance. So we mounted a tiny camera onto their face and that recorded their every expression.”

The ‘Titanic’ director stated it took two years to write the software that could take that raw data set and turn it into reality.

3D vision

Cameron’s use of 3D technology in ‘Avatar’ has redefined how Hollywood now perceives this form of cinema.

“The argument in a filmmaking process that wants to utilise 3D technology has always been, do we film it in 3D or do we do bear the cost in post-production,” he explained. “It is a cost saving exercise of course, but I know that I prefer shooting in 3D.

“In fact, ticket sales are flattening, but if studios are making more money, then it is because we are charging tickets at a premium for 3D technology. People want the big screen experience and they want those extra effects and are willing to pay for it.”

The most common problems facing filmmakers who utilise 3D technology is maintaining that fine balance between storytelling and ensuring the visual effects don’t overcome the plot.

Cameron agreed, saying: “Because I have explored both storytelling and technological advancements throughout my career, my challenge has always been to stay closer to the heart of the character. And because I write my own stories, I know what my characters are feeling before I start thinking camerawork.”

He went on to say: “What the audience wants is a fresh story and the best films work on your emotions. ‘Avatar’ pushed on technology that would cannabilise the big screen market. And it had me go on a 10-year odyssey to fight with filmmakers.”

Cameron revealed that when digital cinema opened, people thought it would die out but it took 3D as a catalyst to bring it to the stage it is.

“Best described, ‘Avatar’ was like jumping out of an airplane and knitting the parachute on the way down,” he laughed. “We would be in middle of production day and we would ground to a halt because the equipment wouldn’t work.

“But today we can say that people will go to school and look in a manual and know how to do things because we solved it.”

So what’s next, one wonders and Cameron doesn’t shy away from answering it: “People often ask me, is 4D the next thing. And I always say, we need to consolidate 3D first. That’s the big step,” he concluded.

Cameron shot to fame in 1984, when ‘The Terminator’ hit the screens for a seemingly short one-week run but ended up collecting $78m at the global box office.

Since, there was no looking back for the Canadian director/writer/producer, who went on to create the cult hit ‘Aliens’ with Sigourney Weaver in 1986, followed by ‘The Abyss’ three years later and ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ in 1991.

But it was the record-breaking ‘Titanic’ in 1994 that really turned Cameron into a household name, sweeping almost all the Academy and Golden Globe awards that year and creating box office history with the film becoming the highest grosser of all time, earning $1.8 billion globally according to industry records.

That record was broken in 2010 when Cameron’s 3D masterpiece, ‘Avatar’, which was the closing film of the Dubai International Film Festival the previous year, garnered over $2.7bn at the global box office.

In fact, it was ‘Avatar’s’ phenomenal success that saw ‘Vanity Fair’ magazine name him Hollywood’s top Hollywood earner earlier this month, with estimated 2010 earnings of $257m.

Cameron is reportedly now involved in the pre-production of ‘Avatar’ parts two and three, which will reportedly be followed by ‘Battle Angel’, but no details of the last project have emerged.

How Avatar Just Saved Pandora In Brazil

James Cameron might have just saved a real-life Pandora on Friday, as a Brazilian judge ruled to save thousands of rainforest acres from one of the world's largest dam proposals.

After several environmental concerns, construction of the Belo Monte Dam was halted by a Brazilian judge on Friday. With plans on the dam being the third largest hydroelectric dam in the world, it was costing the Brazilian government approximately 15 billion dollars in construction costs. The first phase of the 11,000 mega-watt dam was intended to have been completed in 2015. Since the beginning of the project, the dam has caused much uproar from many environmental organizations, even being criticized by the Catholic Church.

As Brazil's population and economy grows, so does its need for a reliable source of electricity. Blackouts in the past have signified a growing energy problem in the country, which was supposed to have been solved with the construction of the Belo Monte Dam. Having been chosen to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, energy demands have been on the forefront of concerns in Brazil.

In the rainy months, the dam would have produced 11,000 megawatts of energy, equaling that of approximately seven coal plants. However, during the rainy months, production would have decreased to about 10% of that total. The famed 11,000 megawatt dam would, in actuality, only produce about 6,000 megawatts on average , annually. While this does create a much-needed clean energy source, the cost to construct it - 15 billion dollars - and the effect on the rainforest does not quite compare to the proposed energy benefits.

In court rulings on Friday, construction was halted and funds were immediately cut off from the project, as a Brazilian federal judge determined that environmental requirements previously set had not been met. These requirements were set in an effort to minimize the impact on the surrounding tropical rainforest and the people of the area. Avatar director, James Cameron, along with Sting and Sigourney Weaver, has become front-line protesters against the construction of the Belo Monte Dam by moving to the Amazonian rainforest to live among the indigenous people. Aside from adding his voice to the protests against the building of the dam, Cameron helps to bring global awareness to the cause, a real-life Avatar.

Halting construction on this project will most likely slow the acceleration of the Brazilian economy. The private companies involved, including Odebrecht, Camargo Correa, and Andrade Gutierrez. Alstom, Andritz, Voith Hydro, and Impsa will likely see negative effects in their earnings, depending on the length of the suspension and the size of this project in comparison to their overall profits.

James Cameron's 'Avatar' Borrows From His Past Epics

Cameron completists might recognize themes, characters and plot points.

If you were setting out to make the biggest film in the history of movies, you'd be wise to take a close look at the brilliant work of the best filmmakers who'd come before you. It's no surprise, then, that many key elements of "Avatar" have James Cameron paying tribute to one of the most important directors of all time: himself.

From characters to plot points to several overarching themes, the world's #1 movie is leaving audiences with both a sense of awe and one of déjà vu. Not that there's anything wrong with that. After "Aliens," "The Abyss," "True Lies," "Titanic" and the "Terminator" films, he's certainly earned the right to stick with what works. Keeping that in mind, here are five recurring Cameron themes we've loved before and are loving again:

The Spineless Company Man
In "Avatar," Giovanni Ribisi's Parker Selfridge heads up the RDA mining operation, barking out orders with an iron fist and a thirst for wealth. In "Aliens," Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) is a rep for the Weyland-Yutari corporation who not only helps mastermind Ripley's ill-fated mission, but has secret plans to bring alien specimens to the company for research and profit. Both characters come from the passive-aggressive school of those who'd sell out their own mother for a buck. Company men through and through, it isn't that they don't have a sense of morality; it's that their morals are up for sale to the highest bidder.

Robotic Retrofits
It'd be really boring if someone made a movie about humans encountering an alien race with the strength of children, who we could smack around as if we were King Kong. It makes sense, then, that Cameron's winning formula has twice relied on mankind overcoming our girly-man physical limitations with the help of hardware. As far as memorable Cameron moments go, Sigourney Weaver's toe-to-toe battle with the "Aliens" queen is tough to top. After slipping into a cargo-loading exo-suit, Ripley lays the smack down. "Avatar" Chief of Security Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), meanwhile, is quite fond of his AMP (Amplified Mobility Platform) suit. Imagined as a descendent of 21st-century military exoskeletons, the AMP suit amplifies (get it?) the strength and mobility of Quaritch and other soldiers. Suffice it to say that if Cameron could have any toy from his movies, he'd probably be walking around his mansion in a giant robo-suit.

Mankind vs. Technology
Afraid that your toaster will rise up against you? That our iPods and Kindles will eventually destroy what's left of our world's simplistic beauty? Then you've probably seen a lot of James Cameron movies. "Avatar" features a none-too-subtle message about the dangers of civilized man attempting to take down the pure of heart and sensitive to nature. The "Terminator" films similarly envision a world where mankind's desire for absolute supremacy becomes its ultimate downfall. Heck, even "Titanic" is about the dangers of technological advancement and the hubris of declaring mankind's supremacy. Whether it's primitive cultures, robots or water, Cameron seems eager to remind humans that we aren't as powerful as we sometimes think.

The No-Nonsense Female Sidekick
In "Aliens," Private Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) is a tough Latina Marine who fights bravely and has more masculine qualities than many of the men around her. In "Avatar," Trudy Chacon (Michelle Rodriguez) is a tough Latina Marine similarly endearing, macho and ultimately ill-fated. Although much has been made over the years of Cameron's love for female action heroes (Ripley, Sarah Connor, Max Guevera from "Dark Angel"), his secondary female characters are just as proud a tradition.

Risk-Taking Realm Immersion
Watch "Avatar," and you're amazed at the lengths Jake Sully must go to set foot on Pandora. As he takes the less-literal dive, it's reminiscent of Cameron's "The Abyss," perhaps his most underrated film. In that movie, a diving team encounters an alien species, ultimately leading Virgil "Bud" Brigman (Ed Harris) to use a liquid breathing apparatus that allows him to dive deeper than humanly possible but risks death if his oxygen runs out. Pandora similarly poses fears of oxygen absence, total immersion and a peek at beauties never before seen by man — for those brave enough to take the leap and for moviegoers, who may similarly be watching a Cameron movie holding their breath.

'Avatar' Star Joel David Moore Confirms Cast Conversations About Sequel

'A lot of things can happen,' he says of potential story lines for a second 'Avatar' film.

Even before "Avatar" came out and collected, oh, only slightly less money than the United States does in annual income taxes, director James Cameron told MTV News he had specific ideas in mind for a potential sequel. Specifically — spoiler alert for the three people in the world who still haven't seen the movie! — that the second film would pick up after the events of the first, with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) having fully transferred his consciousness to his alien body.

Now we have confirmation that Cameron has shared some of those plans with his cast following the film's record-breaking box-office haul. "There have been conversations about certain ways to go," Joel David Moore, who plays human scientist Norm Spellman, told MTV News. "Of course nothing's set in stone. I love all the ideas.

"There are a lot of places for it go and all of those decisions lie in one man's brain," he added about Cameron. "And that is a giant brain. It is hard to feel smart around him."

At the end of the first movie, Spellman is allowed to stay on Pandora following the native Na'vi defeat of the human colonizers. And now we know Cameron expects to have Moore stay around for the sequel.

"Yes, I will be a part of whatever they want me to do," he said. "How can you not? I would love to go back to that world."

But what will his role on Pandora be now? During the final battle against the humans, Spellman's Na'vi avatar was fatally wounded. Will the character be avatar-less in the "Avatar" sequel?

"Anything can happen in a sequel and anything can happen on another planet," said Moore. "Understand that these things are grown from DNA from the Na'vi and us. A lot of things can happen."

James Cameron Discusses 'Avatar' Spirituality, Cliches On 'Oprah'

'There's a fine line between cliché and archetype that touches something universal,' the director argues.

As "Avatar" gets set for a fifth straight week as the #1 film in America, director James Cameron stopped by "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to talk about the film's gender-line-exploding appeal, accusations of recycled storytelling and the franchise's spiritual and environmental roots.

After exchanging a greeting in the language of the native Na'vi population, Oprah asked Cameron if he's a spiritual person. After all, the Na'vi greeting "I see you" is a phrase with a deeper meaning more akin to "I understand who you are."

"I guess I must be, because this film represents a lot of ideas and feelings I have as an artist," he said, going on to highlight his movie's "environmental message and the idea that we are all connected to each other as human beings."

Obsessed with what he termed "nature's imagination," Cameron said "Avatar" was his "attempt to bottle that."

Oprah declared herself a huge fan. Though not having gone to the theater since the '90s — maybe since "Dances With Wolves" — the host said not only did she take in a theatrical viewing of "Avatar," but called all her friends and told them they had to check it out. Cameron explained that while opening-night crowds were dominated by male viewers, positive word of mouth has resulted in an even male/female split in the film's audience.

"Avatar" continues to reel in bundles of cash — $1.4 billion worldwide and counting — but Oprah asked Cameron to respond to charges from critics and viewers that the story is derivative or clichéd. "I think the story is communicating with people," Cameron said. "There's a fine line between cliché and archetype that touches something universal."

The Na'vi's blue color, while not necessarily universal, has become prominent in pop culture — so much so that Lady Gaga has had to abandon plans to coat herself in the hue. Appearing on "Oprah" after Cameron, the pop superstar admitted, "I've been talking about how I want to paint myself blue for a performance for the longest time."

Comparing The 'Avatar' And 'Titanic' Couples With James Cameron

Robotic body suits, evil corporations, do-not-mess-with-me female sidekicks — these are just some of the recurring motifs in the films of James Cameron, present from 1984's "Terminator" up through current box-office and awards-season pet "Avatar."

But it's not just these whiz-bang action-flick factors that connect "Avatar" to the director's earlier work. The forbidden love story between ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and silky blue alien Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) calls to mind another set of star-crossed paramours: Jack and Rose from "Titanic," otherwise known as Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Both couples come from radically different cultures that are contemptuous of their relationship and are forced to choose sides between the competing communities. (Earlier this week, we explored whether Worthington and Saldana will follow DiCaprio's and Winslet's post-Cameron career paths.)