“Avatar: The Way of Water,”The sequel to the blockbuster 2009 “Avatar,”It’s right around the corner and James Cameron, director of James Cameron has started his unfiltered publicity tour. An extensive Interview with The New York TimesDirector takes photos of Marvel and DC movies, and movies set underwater such as the upcoming “Aquaman” sequel and Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.”Get ready! It’s Cameron time!
When the conversation turned to taking risks, Cameron responded by comparing himself to the two big players in the fantasy/science fiction game – DC and Marvel. “I also want to do the thing that other people aren’t doing. When I look at these big, spectacular films — I’m looking at you, Marvel and DC — it doesn’t matter how old the characters are, they all act like they’re in college. They have relationships, but they really don’t. They never hang up their spurs because of their kids,”Cameron spoke. “The things that really ground us and give us power, love, and a purpose? Those characters don’t experience it, and I think that’s not the way to make movies.”
While this isn’t Just what it says true, with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark hanging up his robotic suit for a while to stay at home with his wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) and kid and characters like Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) being deeply family-focused, it’s an interesting observation from Cameron, a man who has dependably made large scale blockbusters that are both dazzling and deeply felt. (Also, kind of weird that Zoe Saldaña, who stars as a major character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was part of the conversation and didn’t say anything.)
One of the most important technological advances was in “Avatar: The Way of Water”It was the rise of underwater motion-capture technology. Kate Winslet, the star, allegedly held her breath for seven minute at a stretch. Cameron was very excited to see footage of a water tribe during the D23 Expo presentation earlier in the fall.
It is a fact that “Aquaman” and Disney’s upcoming “Little Mermaid” remake didn’t film in the water, interviewer Kyle Buchanan asked why shooting it for real was so important. Of course, Cameron balked.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe that it looks good? Come on! You want it to look like the people are underwater, so they need to be underwater. It’s not some gigantic leap — if you were making a western, you’d be out learning how to ride a horse,”Cameron shared his thoughts with The New York Times. “I knew Sam was a surfer, but Sig and Zoe and the others weren’t particularly ocean-oriented folks. So I was very specific about what would be required, and we got the world’s best breath-hold specialists to talk them through it.”
“Avatar: The Way of Water”Dec. 16 in theaters
