James Cameron: “Avatar 3 is not a repeat, it’s an expanded and reinvented world”

The visionary director presents the new part of the saga, Of Fire and Ashes, in the new issue of Première released on newsstands this Wednesday.

Only a few more days to wait before diving back into Pandora. What can we expect from the 3rd opus of the SF saga, Avatar: Fire and Ashwhich comes out in France on December 17? James Cameron gives us all the keys in an exclusive interview to be found in issue 568 of Firstreleased this Wednesday on newsstands and available on our online store. Follow the leader.

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Three years after Avatar: The Way of Waterhow to rekindle the flame? How can we still surprise the public, after two immense successes which both exceeded two billion dollars in global box office revenue? This is the big question of our file. And Cameron assures us that we shouldn’t let ourselves be trapped by the familiar faces we see in the trailers (the Ikrans, the Tulkuns, Quaritch, etc.). The new part will not be a repeat of the first two.

“If we only look at the promotional material, this is normal. We find the world, the colors, the codes. But it’s misleading: the two trailers have already planted some clues. Avatar 3 is not a repetition of the Pandora we know – it is an expanded and reinvented world that we explore.”

After having signed two technological shocks, with the 3D ofAvatar in 2009 then the HFR of The Way of Waterthe filmmaker was able to reap the fruits of his work and better focus on the narrative issues, particularly around the family of Jake and Neytiri, bereaved after the death of their eldest son, Netayam, in the previous opus. While offering an immersive show lasting more than 3 hours, also with major action scenes and “3,500 visual effects shots“.

“I don’t try to reinvent cinema every time I make a film (…) Over the last three years, I haven’t rethought the technology, I have perfected the story. And that changes everything. It’s a real relief to be able to concentrate on the story. The real challenge was to create an emotion. And according to the test screenings, the public reaction is stronger than for the 2, perhaps even than for the first. We have moved the center of gravity from the spectacular to the intimate. But make no mistake: the spectacle is there. It’s Avatar! Simply, this time, the heart of the film is really the characters.“

Find our complete file on Avatar: Fire and Ashalso featuring interviews with Zoe Saldaña and Sam Worthington, in the new issue of First.