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Avatar (also marketed as James Cameron's Avatar) is a 2009 epic science fiction film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoë Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver, Development of Avatar began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page treatment for the film. Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, for a planned release in 1999; however, according to Cameron, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film. Work on the language of the Na'vi began in 2005, and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006. Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million, due to a groundbreaking array of new visual effects Cameron achieved in cooperation with Weta Digital in Wellington. Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production and at $150 million for promotion. The film made extensive use of new motion-capture filming techniques and was released for traditional viewing, 3-D viewing (using the RealD 3-D, Dolby 3-D, XpanD 3-D, and IMAX 3-D formats), and "4-D" experiences in selected South Korean theaters.

Avatar premiered in London on December 10, 2009, and was released in the United States on December 18 to positive reviews, with critics highly praising its groundbreaking visual effects. During its theatrical run, the film broke several box office records and became the highest-grossing film at the time, as well as in the United States and Canada, surpassing Cameron's Titanic, which had held those records for twelve years. Avatar remained the highest-grossing film in the world for nearly a decade until it was overtaken by Avengers: Endgame in 2019, but a Chinese re-release of Avatar led to the film retaking the worldwide top spot in March 2021, where it has been ever since. Adjusted for inflation, Avatar is the second highest-grossing movie of all time after Gone with the Wind with a total of more than $3 billion. It also became the first film to gross more than $2 billion and the best-selling video title of 2010 in the United States. Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won three, for Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction. The success of the film also led to electronics manufacturers releasing 3-D televisions and caused 3-D films to increase in popularity.

Following the film's success, Cameron signed with 20th Century Fox to produce four sequels: Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash have completed principal filming, with the former released on December 16, 2022, and the latter scheduled to be released on December 19, 2025; subsequent sequels are scheduled for December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028. Several cast members are expected to return, including Worthington, Saldana, Lang, and Weaver.

Cast[]

Character Actor
Jake Sully, human (Avatar, 2009)
Jake Sully, Avatar (Avatar, 2009)
Jake Sully
Sam Worthington
Neytiri (Avatar, 2009)
Neytiri
Zoë Saldana
Colonel Miles Quaritch (Avatar, 2009)
Colonel Miles Quaritch
Stephen Lang
Trudy Chacon (Avatar, 2009)
Trudy Chacon
Michelle Rodriguez
Dr. Grace Augustine, human (Avatar, 2009)
Dr. Grace Augustine, Avatar (Avatar, 2009)
Dr. Grace Augustine
Sigourney Weaver
Parker Selfridge (Avatar, 2009)
Parker Selfridge
Giovanni Ribisi
Dr. Norm Spellman, human (Avatar, 2009)
Dr. Norm Spellman, Avatar (Avatar, 2009)
Dr. Norm Spellman
Joel David Moore
Dr. Max Patel (Avatar, 2009)
Dr. Max Patel
Dileep Rao
Mo'at (Avatar, 2009)
Mo'at
CCH Pounder
Eytukan (Avatar, 2009)
Eytukan
Wes Studi
Tsu'tey (Avatar, 2009)
Tsu'tey
Laz Alonso
Corporal Lyle Wainfleet (Avatar, 2009)
Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
Matt Gerald

International versions[]

Trivia[]

  • The Romanian and Taiwanese Mandarin dubs, as well as the full dubs in Polish and Bulgarian, did not officially surface until the film's 2022 re-release, noticeably later than other dubs.
    • Of these four dubs, only the Taiwanese Mandarin initially was available on Disney+. As of June 8, 2023, the Polish and Romanian dubs are now currently available, while the Taiwanese Mandarin one is not.

References[]

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