Hey folks, Harry here... Well, with James Cameron out on the publicity tour for GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS, little pieces are being dropped in each and every interview. Pieces, which, of course, don't fit together yet, because we don't know the overall picture of what the King of the World is up to exactly. Here's what we know...
Cameron has strong armed Disney into retro-fitting 50 Screens in the United States to be able to screen GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS in his idyllic 3D presentation. This includes installation of a shimmering Silver Screen which is best for the screening of 3D. The Retrofit costs Disney $10,000 per screen.
Using Disney's case as an example, he's talked FOX into a similar retrofitting, but for 500 screens nationwide, when he releases his next film. Meaning that his next film will be in 3D (as I stated in my SPY KIDS 3D set visit article), but would also be available and be excellent even in old fashioned 2D.
Cameron's New Film is set to be a mega-budget $100 million dollar plus extravaganza of some sort. Some articles have stated that it would be either a Sci-Fi flick or a Historical Adventure flick. Whatever the case, Cameron is not entirely satisfied with the script as it stands, and is doing a Cameron pass on the script to bring it up to his exacting standards.
Ok... So basically that's what is being said on the 'junket' circuit for GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS. What do we know outside of that funhouse? We know quite a bit actually. Cameron has about 5 different projects lined up. We don't know all the titles (unfortunately), but we do know that TRUE LIES 2 is absolutely dead for him. We know that he has had a screenplay being worked on for BATTLE ANGEL ALITA. I've heard tale of FX tests that have been done for this project as well. I have also heard that Cameron has acquired the rights to MAZINGER Z (yes, that Shogun Warrior property) anime... So those are the two Anime properties I know he's been developing. He also has that female Sub-Mariner-ish comic property FATHOM that he's had work being done on. In the Historical Realm, he's had William Wisher working on a screenplay which centers in and around the Bomber Operations of the 8th Army Air Force during World War II for a couple of years now. Also, Arnold Schwarzenegger brought Cameron CRUSADE, his long awaited dream project, but given current tensions in the world... no matter that the film is most desperately needed right now, I just can't imagine it being a 3D film, or being made within the current atmosphere.
Also, Cameron has reportedly been working to get in the fast track two projects that he would serve as producer on. The first teams the screenwriter of THE IRON GIANT with the Director of CRONOS, BLADE 2 and the upcoming HELLBOY to take on the morbid hero property, THE COFFIN. Just for clarity sake, that'd be Tim McCanlies and Guillermo Del Toro. This is still just in the treatment stage I understand, and has not taken the steps into formal screenplay yet. We'll see how this progresses. The other is a project that James Cameron is developing with Richard Kelly called THE RIFT which is about a team of scientist that create a dimensional rift in the Antarctic, but that was meant for Richard to direct and write.
Oh... and you want to know about the ALIEN franchise possibilities. Well, Cameron, up in an interview in Canada has stated that he would be interested in doing another ALIEN movie. Here's what was said:
The Alien franchise is a different story, though. Cameron, who directed 1986's Aliens, says he's eager to resuscitate the series with a new movie, one that he hopes will draw fans back after the dreary Alien 3 (directed by Fight Club's David Fincher) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's disappointing Alien: Resurrection. But he'll only do it if Twentieth Century Fox abandons its plans to torpedo the franchise with a cash-grabbing Alien vs. Predator flick.
"I said, 'Look, that's Wolfman meets Frankenstein.' It's like when you're cleaning out the closet, and you find these poor old relic films down at the bottom and you put two of them together.
"So whenever you're ready to pronounce (the Alien franchise) dead, you go and make that film. I'm sure they're not going to like that comment, but that's the way I feel about it. Let's not pronounce it dead yet."
By STEVE TILLEY -- Edmonton Sun
So, if anything, let us pray that James Cameron's preemptive strike against the gigantic ball of shit that would have been Paul (HACK) W.S. Anderson's ALIEN VS PREDATOR was right on target, and killed it dead. DEAD DEAD DEAD!!!
And that is the world of Cameron as I currently know it. If you can help in the unfolding of Cameron's Master Plan... Email Me Immediately Please!
Hey folks, Harry here... Marc here had some reminders of some of the other projects that Cameron has a hand in, and might be seeing the light of day... some day, if not next. Here ya go...
Hi Harry,
some time ago Lightstorm Entertainment has aquired rights to the Steven Pressfield-novel "Last Of The Amazons",a historical adventure/account of the female hunter tribe - that could be a 3D-project.
Before that the company hired Linda Woolverton (wrote the script for Disney´s "Beauty & the Beast" - both film and stage) to adapt the "Fathom"-comic from Top Cow Productions.Must be in development for two or thre years now.Storyline to me sounds much like that of the "Meridian"-comic."Fathom" first was meant to be project for Fox Animation but then Cameron took over and decided it would make for a good live-action thing.
Ryne Douglas Pearson - the writer of "Knowing" (yeah - t h a t "Knowing") - has sold a pitch called "Godspeed" to Lightstorm.This "Godspeed" should have nothibg to do with the project where Michael Douglas once wanted to star as an astronaut who returns to his hometown 40 years later.It´s rather an "action-adventure set in outer space"...
Revolution Studios contacted Cameron to join him on "The Hanging Tale" from Danny Rubin (wrote "Groundhog Day" - by the way,one of my favourite comedies - there are floating around dozens of similars projects now)."Tale" is set in the Old West and is about a criminal to be hanged who entertains the audience waiting for him to be executed with stories about him searching for a treasure.Cameron would only produce this.
And don´t forget that old Ramses-project.Lightstorm is developing the Anne Rice-novel "The Mummy Or Ramses The Damned" for five or more years now.They bought it way back then for $3 Million Dollars! So I guess one day we´re going to see it getting made in one form or another.
And one last thing - I probably read it on your site: Dean Devlin once mentionmed when asked about the remake of "Fantastic Voyage" he and Emmerich were attached to that "Cameron makes it now".Must have been almost a year ago.
When I think of it: T h a t would make a great 3D-movie - at least when directed by the King himself.
I forgot one thing: Cameron has the rights to Patricia Anthony´s novel "Brother Termite".It´s like "Taken" from the aliens´ point of view.Cameron wanted Steve Norrington to direct it years ago.Obviously that didn´t come to fruition.
Do you remember the "Armageddon"/"Deep Impact"-craze?Cameron too did have an asteroid-project in the works (hell,even Emmerich who then switched to "Godzilla"...).Cameron´s was called "Bright Angel Falling" and he wanted Peter Hyams to diect it.Wouldn´t be surprised to see it resurface one day.
And maybe he gets second thoughts about leaving "The Crowded Room" since no one else has done it yet (coughidentitycough).
Greetings,Marc.
