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James Cameron to write Avatar Prequel Novel
While we expect James Cameron to be hard at work writing a sequel to the well contained story for Avatar 2 (with Disney’s Pocahontas 2 and The Holy Road on hand to avoid similarities) it seems that he is actually writing a prequel novel that will set the stage and introduce us to some of the characters stories from the hit film.
FilmoFilia quotes:
Jim wants to write a novel that is a big, epic story that fills in a lot of things. [We] won’t have time to do [these stories] in the movie, or maybe in sequels, [So the novel will] give a foundation for the world. It would be something that would lead up to telling the story of the movie, but it would go into much more depth about all the stories that we didn’t have time to deal with — like the schoolhouse and Sigourney [Weaver's character] teaching at the schoolhouse; Jake on Earth and his backstory and how he came here; [the death of] Tommy, Jake’s brother; and Colonel Quaritch, how he ended up there and all that.”
Do we really need to know the finer details of what came before the events of Avatar? Or do you think that the film covered that backstory enough in dialogue and setting to get us into the Avatar world? I thought it was covered quite well without spelling it all out for you. Like in Star Wars, when ObiWan says he fought alongside Luke’s father in the Clone Wars, did we need it spelled out for us? Well in hindsight I am sure some would say no, but even as poorly as they are received, the prequels do provide a lot of insight.
I don’t think its a bad idea, and if written well enough it should make for an interesting book on my shelf. Maybe it will offer some insight into some of the characters that will change my perspective in the film.
Like I might actually care about what happens to Sigourney’s character? Will I sympathize or hate Colonel Quiddich- I mean Quaritch?
Would it be one story? Or will it be about where all the characters were before the movie, with the story jumping all over the place? If its the latter, I think it would make more sense just to do a straight to dvd with short animated films. It could be something like the animatrix.
Hmmm, I’m not sure about this. Do we really need this? I don’t think so.
Then don’t buy it. No, we don’t NEED it, but its a nice option for those that WANT it.
I don’t know…
I’m game for it, I suppose. It would be such a shame to create such a rich world and then not delve deeper into it.
On the other hand, I find that books that are prequels to movies (or games) are fluff at best - might be better off reading some sci-fi classics like Dune or Speaker for the Dead.
IN the end, it depends on how good the book is. It has to be able to stand on it’s own merit, and not that of the movie.
There’s nothing wrong with fluff though, as long as you know that’s what you’re getting.
A very good movie indeed, but the beauty of the movie wasn’t the deep storyline. It was the newly created world with so much details that it would keep anyone fascinated.
A better follow up would be another voyage with a new story throught this world (like another movie) but not a book which explaines the background stories. Everybody have seen other movies in which the same things happens. We saw how humans try communicating with isolated tribes or how young men die or get handicapped during wartime. We can fill in the blanks.
So the book would not be a top of the chart but will only be bought by the diehard fan.
“Jim wants to write a novel that is a big, epic story that fills in a lot of things.”
Um…end of discussion.
You guys don’t get a vote. LOL
It’s not a movie that’s being ‘proposed’, so the usual ‘proprietorship’ mindset of filmgoers goes into the toilet…and flushed. Thank God.
Good luck to him. I hope it sells a kajillion copies. And I’m so glad the the novelist isn’t in the same position as the screenwriter; Mr. Cameron’s going to LOVE the experience. (As if he didn’t know about autonomy already…)
hmmm, an avatar novel? i’m not sure about that one. for cameron’s sake the book better have lots of really cool pictures that can distract the readers from the text.
This story’s not so great that it needs a prequel explaining it.
Working title: Bury My Heart at Pandora?
It’s all good. Dude has alot of shit running around in his head..That’s what 10 years of ingesting this stuff will do.
More billions now for James Cameron.
all of u guys are haters….nothing u say really makes sticking points do to you not liking the story. Millions of fans across the world loved the story and thought it was a beautiful movie. As for a book, why not. Just funny that you guys all jump on the hating bandwagon for a film that was pretty awesome in the eyes of the majority….the vast majority of people who dont care for anything Avatar are mostly pseudo-journalists who have hailed movies far worse as greater works of art.
To each is to own…but why hate on it so much? i mean it did win the hearts of millions enough to go watch it 4 times at the theatre..as if u guys have forgotten how dull the theatre experiance has become in the last 20 years.
The only part I didn’t like about the story was that you KNOW how its gonna play out in the end. You KNOW the Na’vi won’t leave their land and will have to be forced out.
That’s often the problem with prequels, and why you have to have an extra amazing story to pull one off. You have to make me care about these events, even though I already know how things end up. It’s not easy to do.
It’s one of the primary reasons why the last 3 Star Wars films were so bad. We already know how things turn out, yet instead of giving us something extra good, he unleashes something extra crappy.
W
I actually like the prequel Star Wars films(with the exception Jar Jar Binks bullshit).
That was in the trailer dude.
And for the most part, WHAT movie does’nt kinda give you the feeling of how it’s probally going to play out in the end?
Jaws :shark eat’s people, people probally kill shark.
E.T : people get to like him, phones home, and probally goes home.
Finding Nemo: the title spells it out.
I’m messin’ with ya, but you get my drift.
Avatar was Great and even though YEAH, you kinda know were it’s gonna lead, it’s the journey that made it AWESOME.
peace
All true, but we know that nothing major happens, nothing really comes to a head previous to the events covered in the movie. So, that means if he wants this to work, he has to delve very deeply into character, and do it very well. He’s going to have to involve his audience emotionally, enough so that we don’t care about knowing the outcome of the epic battles to follow.
Not an easy task, but who am I to say that he’s not up to it.