Comic Con ’09 : Avatar Panel

Directly after the “New Moon” Panel (I’m sure many are glad that one’s over), Fox and director James Cameron hosted the equally-exciting “Avatar” Panel – which offered attendees (many of whom, I’m guessing, since the panel took place in the same room as the earlier one, were just Twilight fans who couldn’t be fagged getting off their asses and letting ‘real fans’ sit down) their first glimpse at the highly-anticipated new film.

“How many of you have ever wanted to go to another planet?”, Cameron asked the audience when he walked on the stage at Hall H. “Second question, Are you ready to go to Pandora?”

The 6000 audience members watched in awe as Cameron unspooled 20 minutes of his upcoming science-fiction epic. Utilizing a mixture of computer generated effects, green-screen and performance capture, the scene was stunning; very stunning – but still had some audience members walking out wondering if the film would live up to the hype (a couple were heard to say it looked “very Jurassic Park” on the way out). On the whole though, most were very impressed. (Quint from Aint it Cool has kindly described the footage shown here – to save the rest of us from doing so!)

Sitting in on the panel with Cameron were stars Sigourney Weaver, Steven Lang, and Zoe Saldana.

– Cameron said he made the film for the “14-year-old boy that is very alive and well in the back of my mind”.

– Cameron said it’s not a heavy movie, but it’s “something with a conscience. In the enjoying of [the film], it maybe makes you think about the way you interact with nature and your fellow man”.

– A USC professor worked two years on developing the Na’vi language used in the film, according to Cameron.

– Saldana revealed that, on top of martial-arts training, all of the actors had to take “movement” classes to “de-humanize” themselves.

– Sam Worthington recorded a video message from the set of “Clash of the Titans” remarking on the masterful work of Cameron.

Finally, big announcement at the Panel was that on August 21, 15 minutes of “Avatar” will be screened at digital theatres across the country. Sound good!?