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NEWS: Shyamalan Signs up for Avatar Trilogy


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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 1684
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:48 pm Reply with quote
Zac wrote:
In spite of his unfortunate reputation, Shyamalan is an immensely gifted filmmaker. The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable are masterful compositions; his most recent film was unfortunate, but it was also humbling in its failure and I doubt the man will make those mistakes again.


Well, we can hope. I admit, I loved Sixth Sense and I liked Unbreakable, but... let's face it. The guy's ego is completely out of control. That goes a long way to explain the vitrol being spewed about. Had he not had the urge to:
1. Insert himself into ALL of his films, whether he fit or not
2. Credit himself in gigantic letters at the ending of most of his movies, punctuated with a musical swell
3. Write himself as the God figure versus the evil movie critic in Lady in the Water

he'd probably still be OK in the eyes of most. There are MUCH worse directors out there that are FAR less reviled. Take Chris Columbus, for example. Sure, the first Harry Potter was good, but Patch Adams and Bicentennial Man... Hoo.

I think he'll probably do a fine job with this one, provided he's reigned in a bit. But big egos are hard to tame, and the big question mark right now is if Lady in the Water was enough.
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Julia-the-Great



Joined: 14 May 2005
Posts: 328
PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:49 pm Reply with quote
I'm both interested in and a little leary of these movies. I'm sure they'll fall into the same comic book movie adaptation category like X-Men, Spiderman, Fantastic 4, etc. These kinds of movies tend to be either really good or really lame. (that last X-Men movie was absolutely terrible)

I'm want to see how Shyamalan handles these movies, especially the special effects (a flying bison? How will he do it?!), the martial arts, and the whole Asian-ness of it. I think that's going to be a challenge for him, because he's never done anything like this before.

Well, there's a first time for everything, I guess. I hope they turn out well.

[quote="BleuVII"]
Jetto wrote:
But what about Jim Henson? Eh? Eh? Cool

It would be a miracle if Jim Henson could direct films from beyond the grave. Maybe then The Muppets wouldn't be owned by Disney and be whored out to whoever will pay. ex: Those god-awful Pizza Hut commercials. (Seriously, seeing any of the Muppet characters these days is like a stab to my heart.)
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TsubomiKoneko



Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 247
PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:50 pm Reply with quote
Zac wrote:

And yet you present this like it's a valid criticism. Have you even seen any of his films? What in the world are you even talking about?


Actually I've seen all but Lady in the Water. The fact is, I felt like I'd wasted time after seeing them, and I'm worried for people that may be fans of Avatar to suffer the same fate. Everyone is subject to their own opinions, but really... the fanbase for Avatar includes children. His writing doesn't reach to that kind of audience.

My kitten comment was an extreme example of plot twists, it was uncalled for and I'm sorry.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:52 pm Reply with quote
TsubomiKoneko wrote:

His writing doesn't reach to that kind of audience.


He wrote the film version of Stuart Little.

Have you actually done any research or thinking about this?

jsevakis wrote:
Take Chris Columbus, for example. Sure, the first Harry Potter was good


The first Harry Potter was terrible, man. Ever since he stopped directing those films they've gotten better and better.
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mrsatan



Joined: 06 Jul 2005
Posts: 909
Location: Olympia, WA, USA
PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:44 pm Reply with quote
As a Transformers fan, I'd still rather have M. Night direct the Transformers movie than Michael Bay. You Avatar fans have it pretty good, IMHO.
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Vapors



Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Posts: 139
Location: Bay Area
PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:44 pm Reply with quote
Julia-the-Great wrote:
It would be a miracle if Jim Henson could direct films from beyond the grave. Maybe then The Muppets wouldn't be owned by Disney and be whored out to whoever will pay. ex: Those god-awful Pizza Hut commercials. (Seriously, seeing any of the Muppet characters these days is like a stab to my heart.)


For me, it was when they did the thinking green automobile during last year's Super Bowl.

Anyways, is it so amazing that a director of mostly dramas/thrillers wants to do kids movies? I mean Alfonso Cuaron did Y Tu Mama Tambien before Harry Potter. Robert Rodgriguez did shooters like El Mariachi and Desperado before doing the Spy Kids movies. And as Zac I think pointed out, he's done the screenplay for Stuart Little. I like that he's trying different genres here. The reason I think he gets bashed so much is that there's just so much ungodly hype that surrounds his movies. I mean, when Sixth Sense or Unbreakable were coming out, I don't recall so much buildup. He was praised because it seemed like he came out of nowhere. A few years ago I remember a magazine (Time? EW?) cover that had him on it and had the title "Is Shyamalan the Next Spielberg?" Almost immediately every movie that's come out since has propped up his movie above all us making it an easy target when it comes out. If he isn't breaking $100 Mil or collecting some kind of award, its considered a failure. And only a couple of movies have "twists" in them (Sixth and Unbreakable) but it looks like this is what he'll be known for until something else comes down.

Anyways, I would have figured that they would just do an animated movie since it would make more sense. I can't see any of the Avatar characters as real life people. Wouldn't it be more financially safer to pay the current animating studio a few mil more to increase the quality for a movie and begin animating while working on season 3?
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britannicamoore



Joined: 05 Dec 2005
Posts: 2618
Location: Out.
PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:48 pm Reply with quote
I don't care about Shaymalan. I've enjoyed the movies i've seen and thats that.

But a live action Avatar? Will he still be a kid? It does say based on...so maybe they won't focus on the main charcters but on the wars between the Fire nation and everyone esle.

or maybe the films will focus on his past lives.

When i started typing this I thought about how cool it would be if the Avatar was set in a major city like NY with air bending and the Fire nation destroying it. Then I realized that 1. it was too X-men like and 2. it sounds like a terroist plot have mercy.[/spoiler]
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bluepita



Joined: 18 May 2005
Posts: 465
PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:49 pm Reply with quote
Wow, I'm just excited about the films. The episodes of Avatar I have watched have been excellent, and the things i have heard about the others are even better. Can't wait!
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The Xenos



Joined: 29 Mar 2004
Posts: 1519
Location: Boston
PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 3:14 pm Reply with quote
Please tell me I'm not the only one annoyed by people who keep saying Avatar is anime. As far as I know, it's American produced. I don't know why ANN is reporting on it.

As for Cameron's Avatar, I could see that. Cameron keeps saying he want to work on jhis Avatar franchise movies alongside making Battle Angel Alita movies. Now THAT is what I'm dying to see get made. I keep hearing the anime was just ok. The manga for Alita/Gunmm is amazing. It would also made such an amazing film. Cinema is missing out by not having the Alita movie yet. It could be amazing.
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BrothersElric



Joined: 06 Dec 2006
Posts: 1996
PostPosted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 3:42 pm Reply with quote
I never said that it was an anime, I said it was a good TV show, but you are probably refering to other people who made that mistake, so never mind.

I think it was one of the ANN editors who said it was being posted here because it is a show done in an anime style, and most fans of the show are anime fans anyways. I personally think it is good news for anime fans because it could (and that's a very big could) mean the opening up to more anime live action movies since most anime is done in the same story writing, charicter creation, and animation style (mostly similar to shonen).

I too, would love to see a live action Battle Angel, but I also think that there is more than just that one title that the world of hollywood is missing out on and should be made into a live action movie!
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Anns



Joined: 05 Oct 2008
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:55 pm Reply with quote
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the Avatar the last airbender cartoon shows. However, something has struck me as extremely odd and particular about James Cameron’s “Avatar” and Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender.”

I have read some posts that seem to aware of this particularity in a small way, yet so far no one has come right out and said it…so I figured I would enlightened you people to some of the facts and hint what seems odd about the two up-coming movies…

1) One of the strangest things about the two movies is obviously…the fact that both Cameron and Shyamalan decided to register both movies within hours of each other with the same type of movie title.

The title of the post: Shyamalan’s Avatar film also revealed – movies
Part of Link: http://movies.mastersandcritics.com/news/artic

According to the article it states that other than the movie title there are no similarities, but I beg to differ.

The fact is these two variables:

2) Both are hinting on using themes of WATER.

Shyamalan states this directly in an interview:

Title of Video: Avatar Movie Interview with M. Night Shyamalan
Email Link: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/avatar-movie-interview-with-m-night-shyamalan/1422391252

Now in James Cameron’s Avatar the same thing is mentioned in various of ways:

Title of Article: Concept art from James Cameron’s Avatar
Email Link: http://screenrant.com/concept-art-james-camerons-avatar-kofi-2996/

And:

Title post: Weird details about James Cameron’s new movie
Email Link: http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2006/06/details-about-j.html

And the one site I found that actually hinted what I have already suspected:

Title post: How to tell James Cameron’s Avatar from M. Night Shyamalan’s Avatar
Email Link: http://popwatch/ew/com/popwatch/2007/01/hot-to-tell-jam-html

Finally my own assessment…

3) The last air bender uses mythology…Hinduism and Buddhism as a major theme in the cartoon series…

James’ Cameron’s upcoming Movie: “Avatar” is using the theme of Pandora…which is taken from Greek mythology…

No Connection between the two? Please…we are not blind…but the question I must raise then is this…how come the two are so similar in ways that seem an unlikely coincidence…after in baseball “Three strikes and you are out.”

What is the deal? Is this a publicity stunt? Or is there something that these guys aren’t telling us?
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Keonyn
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Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Coon Rapids, MN
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 8:14 pm Reply with quote
One thing you have to remember is that Cameron has been talking about his Avatar film for a long long long time. When I first started forum hopping 4 years ago there was talk of James Camerons Avatar movie. Cameron in fact wrote the initial concept for Avatar in 1995 and accounced it in 1996. It's his own pet project though, and it has taken this long to get the backing to make it and for the technology in effects to reach the point that the effects could portray what he was asking them to portray effectively.

Maybe there are similiarities, but that shouldn't be a huge surprise considering the term "avatar" and how it's used, particularly in mythology. Regardless though, Camerons project has been well known since 1996 and was penned in 1995, well before Avatar: The Last Airbender was a series and before Shyamalan was announced as the films director.

Besides, while you do bring up valid points, this article is a bit on the old side to really respond to at this point.
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Anns



Joined: 05 Oct 2008
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 9:41 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, I remember reading that James has been working on his Avatar project since 1995, but I still think there is something odd.

Call me a sceptic lol.

But thanks, I appreciate your response Very Happy
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15279
PostPosted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 4:59 pm Reply with quote
Keonyn: Avatar the cartoon has nothing to do with the Cameron movie, and is just a Naruto rip-off.
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Wellness



Joined: 16 Jul 2006
Posts: 175
PostPosted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:15 pm Reply with quote
GATSU wrote:
Keonyn: Avatar the cartoon has nothing to do with the Cameron movie, and is just a Naruto rip-off.


Laughing

I'm sorry but that is one of the dumbest things I have seen appear on my computer monitor in a while. Avatar and Naruto aside from being adventures where the several characters use elements of nature to fight are not very similar.
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