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James Cameron (see 40-minute video below) was interviewed by James Murdoch at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Media Summit and reveals that one unnamed Twentieth Century Fox executive wanted to cut out the hit movie’s environmental message. Cameron says: “We were worried going into Avatar that the environmental themes — that went to a spiritually deep profound level — would actually hurt the film. Somebody at Fox, not there now, said, ‘Is there any way to reduce this New Age, tree-hugging, hippy crap?’” The film’s environmental theme was certainly on-message as far as Rupert’s son is concerned: James Murdoch is known for his advocacy of green issues.
At one point in the wide-ranging conversation, Murdoch asks if he can reveal what Avatar cost to make. “You’ll get in trouble with your dad,” replies Cameron. “That’s exactly right,” laughs Murdoch. Both men tub-thumped 3D, which they agreed would become indistinguishable from reality. And Cameron says he plans to go down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific in his own specially-built submarine in a year’s time. He’s already said he wants to film parts of Avatar 2 while 36,000 feet down in the world’s deepest ocean spot.
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Duh. Sounds like Alex Young to me.
No bet.
yeah, it does sound like something Alex Young would say. Funny because I think he went to a very leftish liberal arts school like Williams or Amherst.
Oh for God’s sake. Stop worrying about what a very few, narrow minded, uninformed, Right Wing knuckle-draggers think. All 2 million of them watch the Koch Brothers News Network.
Ugh.
I’m so tired of reading comments by people who insist on dragging “Faux News” and “drudge trolls” into every thread.
Ma’at, get a clue: Fox TV, the Fox Studios, Fox Searchlight, etc., aren’t run by the same people as Fox News. If fact, if you do a search, you’ll find that the Fox Hollywood crowd overwhelmingly supported Obama, and game money to him.
In this case, Cameron makes clear that the comments were made by a Fox film executive who’s left the company. Alex Young is a pretty good guess. It’s exactly the kind of thing he’d say, in the way he dumbed down every film he worked on. And he’s a Democrat.
So this wasn’t about politics. It’s about a Hollywood executive who wants his films to be about nothing but spectacle and CGI.
You speak the truth, sir.
haha apparently the way to get Jim to direct your movie: finance his submarine journeys “for the movie”
Too much power they all have.
Please don’t hurt me Mr. Cameron.
3D will become indistinguishable from reality? Isn’t that called ‘theatre’?
That is old story. James tells it everytime he talks about Avatar.
“And Cameron says he plans to go down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific in his own specially-built submarine in a year’s time. He’s already said he wants to film parts of Avatar 2 while 36,000 feet down in the world’s deepest ocean spot.”
Oh God. If this man isn’t wasting money on yet another “record breaking, budget busting” movie, then his ego isn’t satisifed.
As opposed to what? Using the money to add some more explosions to the movie? I for one would find 3D footage of the Mariana Trench to be extremely fascinating.
Me too, considering no human has been there for more than a few minutes, and that was years ago, and nothing was filmed from what I know of.
Let Rupert be mad, but tell us “What did Avatar really cost?”….
Technically impressive, very pretty ….. and complete crap as a movie – one of the worst in recent years with a big nothing of a Dancing With Smurfs green-weenie script, shallow characters and boring acting.
It *is* hippie crap. Pretty, hippie crap.
Very few. Right. Which is why the “cap and trade” tax scheme soared through an easy approval process.
There are many of us who won’t forget about the East Anglia emails, anytime soon, and regard your faith in anthropogenic global warming with the same derision you likely hold for faith in a God.
Q: Hi Jim, can I kiss your a** a while, then pat your back for making us all so rich?
A: Sure, son of a rich guy.
Q: Terminator and Aliens and even True Lies and Titanic and T2 were really, really good movies. You have definitely made some awesome movies.
A: Yep.
Q: So what was up with all those gaping plot holes in Avatar, which mouth breathing plebians didn’t mind or notice because they were so busy admiring how pretty the film was?
A: Well, when you get as big as I am, you tend to think anything you write down is genius. And the sycophants who surround me daily are too scared to tell me when my ideas suck. For example, when a giant blue alien, who is supposed to be blending in, somehow is wearing an alien-sized Stanford tank top. No one will tap me on the shoulder about that.
Q: I’m a little confused about the whole Avatar concept in the film. It kind of collapses on itself. And this would seem kind of important, since it’s the title of the movie. If humans needed to pose as Na’vi to blend in, but the Na’vi knew that some Na’vi were not real, and in some cases humans posing as Na’vi made no attempts to hide themselves and even were teaching the Na’vi human stuff, doesn’t that render the whole Avatar program moot? I mean, why not just use gas masks to walk around the planet?
A: Shut up. It grossed a ton of money.
Q: But people love eating MacDonalds and many people also like drugs, that doesn’t mean MacDonalds or drugs are inherently good, quality things to consume.
A: I have made billions for studios.
Q: OK. What about how the movie is such a blatant ripoff of key elements from myriad other stories, such as Dances With Wolves, Ferngully, Pocahontas… I mean, sure, show off some cool new cameras but don’t you think your virtuoso filmmaking skill would be better served by an equally great script from a real writer?
A: I am a writer. I wrote Terminator.
Q: What since have you written that was on that level?
A: Shut up.
Q: How come big robots need giant knives?
A: Shut up. People are dumb. They do not and will not care.
Q: How come arrows can hurt some windshields and not others?
A: Shut up. Look at the glowing jellyfish flowers.
Q: Do you find it believable that Sam Worthington’s character was sexually attracted to a large blue alien?
A: Shut up. Nerds can fantasize about blue aliens because they do not have any real life memories of blue aliens rejecting them like real women do.
Q: When you write, do your hands turn into two giant Boar’s Head hams?
A: Did you real my villain’s dialogue in Avatar? It was pure gold. He was unlike any other villain ever.
Q: Do you find it odd that the film has a clear anti-war message yet to deliver the commercial goods it resorts to all out war at the end?
A: No.
Q: Did you realize that the exo-skeleton robot suits in Avatar were just the same thing Ripley used in Aliens, but you added guns? Do you think after ten years of writing a script you could have pushed that envelope a bit further to give your audience something new, if not story wise, then just visually?
A: No.
Q: Do you build houses of money in which to tie up your enemies and burn them down, just for fun?
A: That would be awesome.
Q: You do know realness that you don’t really have a point just nit picky, axe grinding crap. Right?
A: Shut Up!!!! IM A F&#$*NG GENIUS!!
Avatar might have cost only $100 million to make and no one will ever know it.
As a visual effects artist I can DEFINITELY tell you it didn’t cost $100 million. Hell even $400 million is a little conservative of an estimate.
@Kate W. For the win — Alex Young. Classic. That guy is a moron.
I happen to agree with that Fox exec.
I’m a liberal, but I wouldn’t have had a problem with Avatar’s heavy-handed preachy tree-hugging crap if, you know, the screenplay was any good or if there were any engaging characters (besides the bad guy. Boy, did I want him to wipe out all the Navi!) or if there was anything engaging about the film besides its special effects.
Haha, yep.
I know you’re obsessed with 3D, James, but the audience has got wise to what a rip-off it is..
Man Murdoch is a such a bore he needs some media training…I was expecting someone that was a lot more commanding.
Say what you will but Cameron is a genius who blazes the trail for others to follow. Yes he hits and misses but who doesn’t? Thank God that we live in his same time zone. He’s never boring and always way ahead of the curve. There aren’t 3 people in the entire planet that can do the things he does. So go at it, James, I’ll always plunk down a few bucks to see what you’re up to.
I’m with you on that, for sure. To deny the man’s genius is to deny all the of the technical and storytelling achievements he’s accomplished with his engineers over the past 30 years.
He’s a genius at re-inventing the wheel and taking credit for it, I’ll agree with that.
Cameron’s story is complete horsesh-t. Do you really believe after the success of Titanic, that ANY Fox executive would say ANYTHING negative about Cameron’s script – and expect to keep their job?
“Is there any way to reduce this New Age, tree-hugging, hippy crap?’””
That’s funny.
By the way, I freakin’ hated Avatar. Awful POS. On every level.
The bottom of the trench is a lifeless place covered in sea snow and the odd benthic shrimp. Oh, and maybe a bunch of chemical weapons dropped there by the US Navy since they didn’t know how to get rid of them. This has nothing to do with Avatar and everything to do with Cameron’s ongoing passion to do something unique in the realm of adventure. If he can get Fox to bankroll his quest using Avatar 2 as the can, more power to him.
Yeah, gotta say I agree with that exec.
*Self-proclaimed movie genius*: “Cameron maeks bad movies guis! His stories are all liek bad n stuff! And why did the rowbot has a big knife? Doesnt make sense!”
Hahahahaha! It’s so fun to read all theese comments! If Cameron really makes crappy movies, then why has two of his movies become the biggest box-office successes of all time?
Also, I can pretty much bet my right testicle that you guys will all stand in line for Avatar 2 anyway soooo …..