It is known that “Star Wars” made James Cameron decide to take up a career as a filmmaker. For him, the opening of George Lucas’s legendary saga was the film he always dreamed of making himself. The “Avatar” series is also its own attempt to create a similar franchise. However, not only the famous saga about the “Star Wars” was the inspiration for “Avatar”, but also another legendary brand – “Lord of the Rings”.
He admires The Lord of the Rings for creating such a “stubborn world” for people to enjoy over and over again.revealed James Cameron to his colleague and friend Robert Rodriguez (“Alita: Battle Angel”) in an interview for the industry magazine . That’s exactly what he has in mind for “Avatar”.
There is a guide for “Lord of the Rings” – now also for “Avatar”.
He also references the current Amazon Prime video series in the “Lord of the Rings” universe: “If you look at something like ‘rings in force‘ With all these different storylines and interesting characters – that’s something I strive for as well.” Cameron also hints at his idea that in the future, others will be able to let off steam in his world of Pandora – and maybe there’ll even be a TV series, even if he still sees a few problems there.
However, those responsible for “The Rings of Power” would have had a big advantage over him: “They had a manual,” he explains, referring to the books The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. He therefore created his own instructions, his own guide through the world of Pandora. He has also decorated an author’s room modeled on working on a TV series. But the participants had to go through a boot camp first…
Anyone who wants to write “Avatar 2” has to go to the James Cameron School
Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver use the term “boot camp” to refer to another -Interview at least what they had to do for Cameron. When the successful director brought the spouses, who also previously wrote “Jurassic World” and “Planet of the Apes: Prevolution”, on board for the sequels to “Avatar”, he presented them with the instructions he had just mentioned – and then was first called The School Press.
They had to study Cameron’s own Avatar Silmarillion. In the end, they are said to have “achieved a master’s degree in all things Pandora”., says Jaffa. They were briefed on all the details, not only of life on Pandora, but of humanity’s technological advancements – such as how all of the various vehicles and starships work. And that’s not all, because Cameron’s manuals went even further. He also gave them four files totaling some 800 pages. Included: all his ideas for the sequels.
“Avatar 2 – 4” then became “Avatar 2 – 5”
Together with colleagues Josh Friedman (“War of the Worlds”) and Shane Salerno (“Alien vs. Predator”) and Cameron, Jaffa and Silver then spent six months fleshing out ideas to come up with the final story for three sequels. Only when everything was finalized was it decided who would write the final screenplays: Jaffa and Silver got “Avatar 2”.
» “Avatar” on Disney+*
One or the other may wonder why three sequels are mentioned here. In the end, there are now four sequels – after “The Way Of Water”, which is currently still in theaters, “Avatar 3” in 2024 and then also “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5”. That’s because Jaffa and Silver’s script for “Avatar 2” became more and more circulated. In the end, it was decided to share this film again. Therefore, “Avatar 2” and “Avatar 3” will also be very closely related, because they would actually be a movie.
They were shot together anyway – just like parts of “Avatar 4”. Here, too, “Lord of the Rings” is a role model. As is known, Peter Jackson shot his adaptation of the trilogy in one take. Will James Cameron ever publish his “Silmarillion” as a book or comic and will he match “The Lord of the Rings” here too? It’s written in the stars, but some of the content has already made it into a recent release, which will clear up a lot of questions and anyone who might have even more questions about Pandora and the events between Avatar: The Quest for Pandora and Avatar 2: The Way Of Water “ Wanting to know, gives answers. Details can be found in the following article: