James Cameron is hoping fans will be wowed by his upcoming 3-D epic Avatar. But don't expect him to reveal any secrets from his $240 million, computer-generated opus.
"You're not going to find 'behind the scenes' extras on the DVD," Cameron says. "I think the movies aren't the big, wonderful mysteries they used to be. I don't want to see some guy in a black leotard and dots showing me how he made himself look like an animal."
He may be Hollywood's most gifted tailor of cinema and technology, but Cameron remains a pretty old-fashioned guy. Until today, the director has kept his film as secret as a birthday gift — one he plans to present with 20 minutes of footage at Comic-Con.
For a filmmaker who hasn't made a commercial feature since 1997's Titanic, Cameron doesn't sound too worried about selling his tale of war between mankind and an indigenous species on the exotic planet Pandora.
"I think for this type of film, presenting it to a concentrated mass of passionate fans, it's perfect," Cameron says. "I've spent four years of my life on this project. We've got the (goods)."
That is big news for the 7,000 fans who managed a ticket for Thursday's scheduled presentation. Cameron's return has generated the kind of fan reverence normally reserved for George Lucas.
"Iron Man 2 has everyone excited, but there's not a person at Comic-Con who isn't dying to know what James Cameron is bringing," says Blair Butler of the G4 cable network, which caters to gamers and fanboys and plans live coverage of the event.
"He changed film with Terminator and Aliens," she says. "Everyone is wondering if he can do it again."
If he can't, it won't be for lack of trying. Just as he pushed the envelope with his previous hits, Cameron used a new technology for Avatar that allowed him to see computer-generated creatures on his camera while filming live actors.
"It's a different experience for me now," he says. "It was familiar in bursts, like shooting actors. Then we'd shoot for 50 days standing out in a big empty warehouse."
Cameron says that one pressure he doesn't face: having to stay true to the source material.
"We can't screw up a 40-year-old tradition like a comic book," he says. "We created this world from scratch. I've felt like a lawyer preparing for a major case. You spend all this time, rehearsing, rewriting. I'm ready to make my case."From:www.usatoday.com
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