Online protests hoping to protest the casting of M. Night Shyamalan's live-action take on AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER are continuing.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY reported in December that Shyamalan offered the roles of Aang to karate-trained Texan Noah Ringer; Sokka to Jackson Rathbone (TWILIGHT); Katara to Nicola Peltz (DECK THE HALLS); and Zuko to Jesse McCartney, all Caucasian actors to portray Asian characters.
IMAX Corporation and Twentieth Century Fox have reached agreement on material terms to release the highly anticipated 3-D motion picture AVATAR in IMAX 3-D simultaneously with the motion picture's premiere in conventional 3-D theatres on December 18, 2009.
THQ has released AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER -- INTO THE INFERNO, based on the hit animated Nickelodeon television series. AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER -- INTO THE INFERNO is now available for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and Nintendo Wii for the suggested retail prices of $29.99 (Wii) and $19.99 (PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS). The game is also scheduled to be made available for Nintendo DS on November 24, 2008.
VARIETY has assembled a timeline of anime's slow but steady entrance into the American pop culture universe, allowing films like TRANSFORMERS and TV shows like AVATAR to become hits.
Read more here.
James Cameron calls AVATAR "the most challenging film I've ever made," in an in-depth look from THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
Cameron is now at work on the CG production with the principal photography completed. AVATAR is set for release December 18, 2009.
Read the article in its entirety on THE REPORTER's Website.
Avatar Reality, a development entity dedicated to the advancement of online community building, announced San Anselmo, Calif.-based virtual world developer, Virtual Space Ent. (VSE), as the newest addition to their Third Party Developer Program.
Fresh off of its highest-rated performance ever on TV, Nickelodeon will treat AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER fans to a unique experience this September with a brand-new, multiplayer global online game. In the game, AVATAR: LEGENDS OF THE ARENA, which will serve as a prequel story to the series, players can create their own AVATAR character and test their skills against players from around the globe in several 3D online arenas.
Nickelodeon's AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER ended its third season with a "b-Aang," scoring the series' highest ratings ever, and earning the number-one spot on broadcast and basic cable television for the week with kids and tweens. The two-hour season-three finale, "Sozin's Comet" (July 19, 8 p.m. ET/PT), wrapped up a week of new, half-hour AVATAR episodes (Mon-Tues., Thurs.-Fri., 8 p.m. ET/PT), including a one-hour TV movie mid-week, "Avatar: Boiling Rock" (Wed. July 16, 8 p.m. ET/PT).
Ratings highlights for Nick's AVATAR week include:
After Aang's unsuccessful attack against the fierce Firelord Ozai during the Day of Black Sun, he will finally face his mortal enemy and seal his destiny in a riveting, two-hour AVATAR television movie premiering Saturday, July 19 from 8 to 10 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon. "Sozin's Comet" is the culmination of a week of new episodes, which will begin to roll out on Monday, July 14 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) and conclude with Aang's ultimate battle.
Even before the doors opened on the 2008 Licensing International Expo, Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures had big news: M. Night Shyamalan, the celebrity director best known for twist-ending films like THE SIXTH SENSE and THE VILLAGE, would be helming a live-action feature film version of Nickelodeon's popular AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER animated series, due out the July 4 weekend of 2010.
Prior to Microsoft Advance 2008, James Cameron spoke about his new film AVATAR, per SEARCHENGINEWATCH.com.
Jon Landau, Cameron's producing partner at Lightstorm Ent., said the abundance of digital information and the ability to use technologies opened up a new window Cameron didn't know existed. When Cameron started, films were photochemical emulsions. They're all digital now.
We end the month with Ryan Lesser's review of 3ds Max 2009 from Autodesk, which contains new lighting, rendering (with mental ray's Pro materials in action) and navigation tools, along with a template system in the exporter with presets for Mudbox. Plus, Janet Hetherington takes a look at three recent live-action shorts with noteworthy vfx: HOLE IN THE PAPER SKY, TERMINUS and LITTLE MINX EXQUISITE CORPSE: COME WANDER WITH ME. And Robert Powers (AVATAR and TINTIN) explores the significance of a new "Virtual Filmmaking Age" we have entered.
Bill DesowitzEditor
With James Cameron needing more time on his 3-D epic, 20th Century Fox has moved the sci-fier AVATAR from a 2009 Memorial Day weekend release on May 22 to Dec. 18, reports VARIETY. Slipping into the vacant AVATAR slot for Fox is director Shawn Levy and Ben Stiller's family sequel NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2: ESCAPE FROM THE SMITHSONIAN.
Sam Worthington, who is starring in James Cameron's AVATAR, is in negotiations to star in Paramount Pictures' G.I. JOE, reports VARIETY. The studio hopes to start filming on Feb. 13, 2008. Stephen Sommers (THE MUMMY) is directing and Stuart Beattie (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL) penned the script. Paramount hopes to release the film as a summer 2009 tentpole.
Giovanni Ribisi (SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW) has joined the cast of James Cameron's 3-D feature AVATAR, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. He will play passive-aggressive Selfridge. The story follows a group of humans who must face the residents of a distant planet.
The cast also includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez.
The epic third season of the hit series AVATAR and Bill Cosby's half-hour animated children's series LITTLE BILL will both return in Nickelodeon's fall lineup, the top-rated children's network announced.
Michelle Rodriguez and stage veteran Stephen Lang have joined the cast of James Cameron's performance capture space epic, AVATAR, reports VARIETY. The duo joins Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Wes Studi and CCH Pounder. The film is shooting in Los Angeles and will move in October to Wellington, New Zealand, where visual effects supervisor Weta Digital is based.
Ubisoft announced that it will develop and publish the videogame based on 20th Century Fox's AVATAR, the upcoming feature film written and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron.
AVATAR is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people.
THQ's first videogame title based on the popular Nickelodeon TV series, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, has reached a major retail milestone as Sony Computer Ent. America's "Greatest Hits" status for the PlayStation 2 and is now available at retailers throughout North America for the suggested retail price of $19.99. AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER made its videogame debut in October 2006 and finished the year as THQ's top-selling Nick property.
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER - BOOK 2: EARTH - VOLUME 1 ($16.99) debuts on DVD Jan. 23, 2007. Created by Nickelodeon Home Ent. and distributed by Paramount Home Ent., the DVD features five episodes, along with an original uncut animatic of the season's premiere episode, "The Avatar State."
Coming off the lackluster performance of LADY IN THE WATER, M. Night Shyamalan has signed on to write, direct and produce the live-action adaptation of Nickelodeon's popular animated series, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, reports the trades. Paramount Pictures' MTV Films and Nick Movies, who are producing, plans to live-action adaptation into a trilogy with Shyamalan.
The film will be the first Shyamalan has directed in which he has not written an original screenplay. He previously co-wrote 1999's STUART LITTLE.
It's finally official: James Cameron begins principal photography on Twentieth Century Fox's AVATAR -- his first feature since the Oscar-winning TITANIC -- in April for a summer 2009 release, the studio announced. THE NEW YORK TIMES additionally reports that the budget will be $200 million.
Just as Nickelodeon's hit animated comedy/adventure series, AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, premieres in an all-new epic adventure titled, "Avatar: Secret of the Fire Nation" on Sept, 15, 2006, from 8:00-9:00 pm, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER reveals that Nick will air the show weeknights at 6:30 pm, starting Sept. 25. An expanded online initiative will also be launched for the show.
Academy Award-winner Joe Letteri and Weta Digital have signed on to create visual effects, creatures and digital environments for James Cameron's much-anticipated next picture, AVATAR, which was previously known as PROJECT 880.
Nickelodeon and Nicktoons Network are gearing up for their events at Comic-Con International, to be held in San Diego, California, Thursday, July 20 - Sunday, July 23, 2006. The network will be located at booth #2515.
