Could it be Avatar, crossed with The Abyss? James Cameron announced yesterday that a large part of the sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time will take place in the teeming oceans of Pandora. The film-maker also hinted that the third film in his planned series might expand to other planets.

"We created a broad canvas for the environment of film," Cameron told the LA Times' Hero Complex blog. "That's not just on Pandora, but throughout the Alpha Centauri AB system. And we expand out across that system and incorporate more into the story – not necessarily in the second film, but more toward a third film.

"Part of my focus in the second film is in creating a different environment – a different setting within Pandora. And I'm going to be focusing on the ocean on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative, but it just won't be a rainforest. I'm not saying we won't see what we've already seen; we'll see more of that as well," he added.

Cameron, who is on a publicity drive for Avatar's DVD release, said the sequel would take less time to shoot. "The challenge on the next Avatar is to do what we did before at half the price and in half the time. Again, that's an impossible goal, we won't accomplish that, but if we can reduce by 25% in both categories, we'll have really accomplished something."

Cameron also told the LA Times that his team was working on an extra six minutes of Avatar footage which would be added to the film for its August re-release at cinemas, something he said was due to overwhelming demand.

"We were sold out of our Imax performances right up to the moment until they were contractually obligated to switch to Alice in Wonderland, so we know we left money on the table there," he said. "It'll be interesting because it'll be on DVD by then, but I think Avatar is kind of a unique category where people are enjoying the unique theatrical experience even though they may have seen it on the small screen. They want to have that immersive, transportive experience."

Meanwhile, in the UK, Avatar's studio 20th Century Fox is erecting a giant, interactive, replica Tree of Souls at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park. The fibre-optic installation, whose lights and colour visitors can control by plugging in their phones and iPods, will be unveiled by actor Stephen Lang (aka villain Colonel Quaritch) and will be live between Saturday and Monday.

Soladrin wrote:Am I the only one who doesn't care?

Tim the Biovore wrote:I found the first lacking an interesting plotline, which was only saved by its special effects. This puts a sequel straight in to a fire to me. How can a sequel be made to a movie without a good storyboard?

Albatross wrote:I quite liked Avatar.

Fine, it wasn't exactly French impressionist cinema - but if you expected it to be, after all the money spent on it, then you're a fething moron.

It's a popcorn Hollywood blockbuster - try not to be shocked when they aren't particularly original. Or stop watching mass-market Hollywood blockbusters and watch good films instead.

Ahtman wrote:No one went thinking it was going to be The 400 Blows, but they also weren't expecting a cliche laiden, shoot for the lowest common denominator plot with world class FX either.