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James Cameron & Fox Denied Dismissal Of Latest ‘Avatar’ Lawsuit

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Monday March 18, 2013 @ 11:31am PDTTags: 20th Century Fox, Avatar, James Cameron

James Cameron and Fox today did not get their request for a total dismissal of Bryant Moore’s $2.5 billion lawsuit claiming that Avatar was stolen from his scripts. The defendants did get some legal traction when federal Judge Roger W. Titus granted a motion Monday to dismiss the breach of implied contract claim in Moore’s 2011 suit. However, he did not dismiss Moore’s copyright claims in the hearing in the Southern District of Maryland over the 3D blockbuster. The ruling means the jury trial-requested case will go forward, with discovery to occur next during the next four to six months.

Moore sued the director, his Lightstorm Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation on December 19, 2011. The writer claimed that copies of his Aquatica and Descendants: The Pollination screenplays made their way to Cameron in 1993 and 1994 through Lightstorm production assistants. Though Moore says he was eventually told the company did not accept the submissions, he found “striking substantial similarities” between his scripts and 2009’s Avatar. Cameron has said in court filings that he had Avatar mapped out in a detailed scriptment before any such materials by Moore were submitted to his company. Moore is seeking $1.5 billion in profits and another $1 billion in punitive damages. READ MORE »

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James Cameron Prevails In ‘Avatar’ Lawsuit

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Tuesday February 5, 2013 @ 9:27am PSTTags: Avatar, James Cameron

“Clear, undisputed evidence” reveals director James Cameron came up with the concept for Avatar, a U.S. District Court judge ruled in Los Angeles. Late last week, Judge Margaret Murrow granted (read the … Read More »

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James Cameron To Direct ‘The Informationist’ For Fox After ‘Avatar’ Films

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday October 23, 2012 @ 12:09pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox, Avatar, Big Deals Film, James Cameron, Lightstorm Entertainment
Mike Fleming

James Cameron Informationist MovieJames Cameron‘s company Lightstorm Entertainment has acquired film rights to the 2011 novel The Informationist by Taylor Stevens to put on Cameron’s to-direct list after he finishes the second and third Avatar sequels. Those are currently in preproduction. 20th Century Fox will release the film, which will be produced by Cameron and his Lightstorm partner Jon Landau, who will soon go out to writers for the adaptation.

The Informationist, which came out in October 2011, centers on Vanessa “Michael” Munroe, an information specialist whose work is in-demand by  corporations, heads of state, private clients, and anyone else who can pay for her unique brand of expertise. When a Texas oil billionaire hires her to find his daughter who vanished in Africa four years ago, Munroe finds herself back in the lands of her childhood. Betrayed, cut off from civilization and left for dead, she must come face-to-face with the past that she’s tried for so long to forget. A second Munroe novel, The Innocent, was published this year. Read More »

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James Cameron, Fox Get ‘Avatar’ Copyright Suit Dismissed

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Monday September 17, 2012 @ 5:49pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox, Avatar, Hollywood lawsuit, James Cameron

The most successful movie of all time is not a rip off of a screenwriter’s unmade film and novel, the U.S. District court ruled today. “Bats And Butterflies is a children’s story with a simple protagonist,” said Judge Manuel Real, Monday in Los Angeles. “Avatar is a more complex story about a conflicted protagonist.” The judge went on to add that the two were “not substantially similar” to each other. Back in the beginning of the year, Elijah Schkeiban filed a copyright infringement suit against James Cameron, 20th Century Fox, the director’s Lightstorm Entertainment and production company Dune Entertainment claiming that 2009’s Avatar was based on his novel and subsequent film script. The two sides have been chipping away at it legally ever since with the defendants getting successfully getting two motions to dismiss and Schkeiban amending his complaint. Read More »

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Latest ‘Transformers’ Passes Last ‘Lord Of The Rings’ As #4 Box Office Film of All Time

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday October 7, 2011 @ 1:37am PDTTags: Avatar, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Titanic, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Worldwide Box Office

So the Top 5 order now for all-time box office worldwide grosses (but not adjusted for inflation or higher ticket prices or 3D premiums) is:

1. Avatar 2D (Fox – 2009) $2.7B

2. Titanic 2D (Fox/Paramount – 1997) $1.8B

3. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 3D (Warner Bros – 2011) … Read More »

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‘Avatar’ Theme Park Deal Won’t Inflate Disney Costs, CFO Says

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Wednesday September 21, 2011 @ 11:14am PDTTags: Animal Kingdom, Avatar, Disney, Fox, James Cameron, Theme Parks

Will ‘Avatar’ From Fox Provide Disney With The Theme Park Hit It Needs?
Disney and Fox Unveil Plan For ‘Avatar’ Theme Park Attractions

Disney’s newly announced Avatar theme-park attraction is ”a perfect example of something that could be a needle … Read More »

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UK Report Calls For Movies Featuring Smoking To Be Adults-Only

By TIM ADLER in London | Tuesday September 20, 2011 @ 7:16pm PDTTags: Avatar, Die Hard

The UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies has called for all movies featuring smoking to be rated for adults only in Great Britain unless there’s a good reason for the characters to be lighting up. But UK film censor David Cooke tells me there’s no public support. The disagreement comes on the heels of a just-published Bristol University study that questioned 5,000 UK 15-year-olds and analyzed some of the top U.S. movies released here from 2001-05 that depict smoking. Researchers say that half of those movies are rated UK15 or below, exposing children and teenagers to tobacco addiction. “Smoking in films remains a major and persistent driver of smoking uptake among children and young people, which the actions of irresponsible filmmakers, incompetent regulators and insouciant politicians are abjectly failing to control,” study co-authors John Britton and Alison Lyons write. The report highlighted Avatar and Read More »

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Disney And Fox Unveil Plan For ‘Avatar’ Theme Park Attractions

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday September 20, 2011 @ 10:22am PDTTags: 20th Century Fox, Animal Planet, Avatar, Bob Iger, Disney, James Cameron, Lightstorm Entertainment, Theme Parks

Disney has licensed exclusive global rights to the Avatar franchise from Fox and James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment — and the director will help to develop the attractions, CEO Bob Iger says. The first will be at Animal Kingdom in Orlando. The goal, he says, is to enable visitors to “enter the Avatar universe and explore it first-hand.” Cameron adds that “to bring that to life at Animal Kingdom is fantastic because it’s so thematically aligned. … We want to do things that maybe they haven’t even thought of.” Tom Staggs, who runs Disney’s theme parks, says the company is “just beginning the development phase” for a complex that will begin construction in 2013 and include Avatar-themed shops and food destinations to “bring that world to life.” Although he wouldn’t say how much the company has budgeted, he compared the scope of the first project to the 12-acre Cars Land site at Disney California Adventure Park. Cameron is working on two Avatar sequels that he plans to release around Christmas 2014 and 2015. ”That seems to correspond well” with the park plans, he says — noting that the destination will include environmental features that don’t appear in the movie. Iger says the attraction will open after the movies, although “we’re in the ballpark.” Avatar will add jobs in the ”low single digit thousands,” Staggs says. Here’s the release:

BURBANK, Calif. — Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide is joining forces with visionary filmmaker James Cameron and Fox Filmed Entertainment to bring the world of AVATAR to life at Disney parks. Through an exclusive agreement announced today by Disney, Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox, Disney will partner with Cameron and producing partner Jon Landau to create themed lands that will give theme park guests the opportunity to explore the mysterious universe of AVATAR first hand. Disney plans to build the first AVATAR themed land at Walt Disney World, within the Animal Kingdom park. With its emphasis on living in harmony with nature, Animal Kingdom is a natural fit for the AVATAR stories, which share the same philosophy. Construction is expected to begin by 2013.

Read More »

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Report: Overseas Audiences Propelled 3D Ticket Sales In 2010

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Friday August 12, 2011 @ 1:26pm PDTTags: 3D, Alice in Wonderland 3D, Avatar, Screen Digest, Toy Story 3

Although U.S. audiences have cooled to 3D movies, overseas ticket buyers still loved the technology in 2010, a report today from IHS Screen Digest Cinema Intelligence shows. Researchers say that ticket buyers worldwide spent $6.1B on 3D movies last … Read More »

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James Cameron’s Lightstorm Hires Kathy Franklin To Guide ‘Avatar’ Brand

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday August 9, 2011 @ 5:59pm PDTTags: Avatar, James Cameron, Lightstorm Entertainment

LOS ANGELES (August 9, 2011) __ Kathy Franklin has been named President of Franchise Development at Lightstorm Entertainment. Announced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, the hire signifies Lightstorm’s commitment, in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox, to building the franchise and brand of AVATAR beyond the traditional licensing and merchandising avenues.

Cameron commented, “Anticipating the exponential growth of the Avatar universe, we looked for someone who could lead a team that will cement Avatar as a world class brand across all platforms and markets. Kathy’s experience, coupled with her drive and vision for what Avatar can be, made her the right choice.”

Franklin is a seasoned leader with a proven record of designing and implementing industry-leading branding, growth and communications strategies. As Vice President of Global Studio Franchise Development for Disney Consumer Products, she led the strategies that drove the Disney Princess, Disney Fairies, Cars and Toy Story franchises while building integrated partnerships with film, television, and online divisions of The Walt Disney Company. Before that, Franklin was Vice President of Disney Worldwide Outreach, during which she ran marketing and communications for all corporate philanthropic outreach and charitable giving. Franklin’s first position at Disney was Director of Disney Learning Partnership, a philanthropy focused on supporting creative approaches to teaching and learning, which she helped launch and for which Franklin created DisneyLearning.org and executive produced “The Creative Classroom Series,” an award-winning set of videos and educator guides.

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Hammond: PGA Doesn’t Follow Oscar Lead

By PETE HAMMOND | Tuesday July 19, 2011 @ 3:34pm PDTTags: Avatar, Producers Guild of America, The Hurt Locker, The King's Speech, The Social Network
Pete Hammond

Producers Guild’s 2012 Awards Schedule

As the announcement indicates, the PGA is following status quo, not Oscar, which is a bit of a surprise. Despite its close relationship with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, … Read More »

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UPDATE: News Corp Exec Calls Premium VOD ‘A Test’ But Hedges About Plans

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Wednesday May 4, 2011 @ 3:15pm PDTTags: American Idol Finance, Avatar, Chase Carey, Fox, Netflix, Netflix Online Streaming, News Corp, News Corp Finance, Premium VOD, Rupert Murdoch, The X Factor

UPDATE, 3:15 PM: Add NewsCorp COO Chase Carey to the list of executives of studio owners who characterize Premium VOD as merely a test that shouldn’t hurt theater owners. In a quarterly earnings conference call with analysts and reporters, Carey said that Fox and other studios are beginning to offer 8-week-old movies to cable and satellite VOD because they had little choice: Services such as Netflix and Redbox are renting DVDs for as little as $1 a night ”and that doesn’t work,” Carey says. “We have to build appropriate values and windows into our business.” Fox is “in the very early stages (of the P-VOD trials) with one small film.” He doesn’t want it to affect exhibition chains because they “set the pace for the film industry.” Still, he hedged when asked whether Fox would let exhibition companies see how well P-VOD movies perform — something that the National Association of Theater Owners says it wants. Carey says he “doesn’t know what request has been made,” although he adds that it’s “important for everyone to understand what’s going on.”  Read More »

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‘Cleopatra’ Conversation Turns To David Fincher

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday March 22, 2011 @ 7:15am PDTTags: Angelina Jolie, Avatar, Brian Helgeland, Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor, James Cameron, Martin Luther King Jr., Scott Rudin, Sony Pictures, Stacy Schiff, Stieg Larsson
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: What has happened with Sony Pictures’ plans to mount an exciting new biopic of Cleopatra, with Angelina Jolie attached as the Egyptian queen, based on Stacy Schiff’s bestselling book Cleopatra: A Life? I’m told the director conversation right now … Read More »

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OSCAR MOGULS: Tom Rothman Q&A

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday February 13, 2011 @ 9:46pm PSTTags: 127 Hours, 83rd Academy Awards, Avatar, Black Swan, Unstoppable

The Deadline Team of Nikki Finke, Pete Hammond, and Mike Fleming have spent recent days interviewing the studio moguls to gauge their perspective on this very close Oscar race:

FOX
12 Nominations: 5 Black Swan, 6 127 Hours, 1 Unstoppable

DEADLINE’s … Read More »

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‘Avatar’ Producers Gift Cast With Blue Prius (But Not Crew?)

By NIKKI FINKE AND NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday December 15, 2010 @ 5:04pm PSTTags: Avatar, James Cameron, Jon Landau, Movies



EXCLUSIVE: We’ve learned that Avatar producers James Cameron and Jon Landau presented 11 principal cast members of the mega-blockbuster film with gifts in the past few days: a blue Toyota … Read More »

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‘Avatar’ Extended Collectors Set Unveiled

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday October 4, 2010 @ 10:34pm PDTTags: Avatar, Avatar DVD, DVDs, James Cameron, James Cameron Avatar, Jon Landau, Movies

EXCLUSIVE: As if Twentieth Century Fox and James Cameron haven’t made enough money off this movie… It was always the director’s intention to create the “ultimate box set” that went deeper into the filmmaker process and the Avatar journey for … Read More »

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Producers Guild Awards James Cameron

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday September 22, 2010 @ 9:26am PDTTags: 22nd Annual Producers Guild Awards, Avatar, James Cameron, Movies, Producers, Producers Guild of America, Titanic

LOS ANGELES, CA (September 22, 2010) – The Producers Guild of America (PGA), a national non-profit trade group committed to protecting the rights and credits of producers in film, television and new media, announced today that the legendary Oscar award-winning producer, director, writer James Cameron will be honored with the 2011 Milestone Award. The award will be presented to Cameron at the 22nd Annual Producers Guild Awards ceremony on Saturday, January 22nd at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

The Milestone Award is the Guild’s highest honor that recognizes an individual (or team) who has made historic contributions to the entertainment industry. The Producers Guild has paid tribute to such luminaries as Clint Eastwood, Alfred Hitchcock, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Ron Howard & Brian Grazer, and Walt Disney, among others.

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Comic-Con #1: Hollywood’s Big Show-Offs

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday July 22, 2010 @ 10:36am PDTTags: 2010 Comic-Con, Avatar, Comic-Con, Comic-Con Convention, Hasbro, Iron Man, Mattel

Luke Y Thompson is covering the Con For Deadline:

comicon 2010WEDNESDAY PM: If there’s a recession going on, you wouldn’t know it from the looks of Comic-Con. While last year’s exhibit hall featured recycled set-pieces and props we’d seen a time … Read More »

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EXCLUSIVE: James Cameron Will Make Record-Setting $350M From ‘Avatar’

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday July 9, 2010 @ 4:49am PDTTags: Avatar, film director, James Cameron, James Cameron Avatar, movie

james-cameron-avatar-sam-worthingtonI’m told this will be the biggest financial haul ever for a movie director from a single pic because James Cameron had a significant gross percentage of the Twentieth Century Fox megahit as helmer, writer, and producer. Though Hollywood pay experts tell … Read More »

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