James Cameron
#INTERVIEW: JAMES CAMERON AND STEPHEN LANG ON “AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH”
By Mr. Will Wong
It was a complete massive takeover as AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH‘s Canadian Premiere took place at Toronto’s Scotiabank Theatre last night. Visionary Canadian FilmmakerJames Cameron got a hero’s welcome home, bringing along with him Avatar Franchise star Stephen Lang to walk the carpet. The theatre was decked-out for a fully immersive experience with displays, carpets, lighting, decals, props, and more. Lucky guests who got to see the Film first witnessed an introduction by Cameron and Lang. Canadian Actor Filip Geljo (Aonung) also was in-attendance.
This third Avatar film is poised to add to the historic Franchise’s record-setting success. To date, the previous films together have grossed $5.2 billion globally. In this installment, we see Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) cope with loss, yet also encountering a new aggressive Na’vi clan led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), plus the potential resurgence of former enemies, including Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang).
We had the absolute pleasure of chatting with both Lang and Cameron as they made their way down a super-sized press line, giving facetime to influencers and Media alike, showing grace and generosity with their time.
While brief, Justin Waldman and I got to chat with Lang who once again reprises his role as Quaritch and he speaks candidly about the process of performance capture – which he has now mastered – and also about his own experience with fatherhood, playing a father in the Film.
Cameron spoke about his experience being a Kapuskasing native and how that informs his filmmaking, what he loves about Toronto, and also the importance of seeing AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH in cinemas.
20th Century Studios Canada release AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH in theatres December 19, 2025.
Justin Waldman‘s review here. This Film must be witnessed for the spectacle alone!
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “FIRE AND WATER: MAKING THE AVATAR FILMS”
“Fire And Water: Making The Avatar Films” will premiere November 7, 2025, exclusively on Disney+. Be sure to check out the trailer below!
The two-part documentary from 20th Century Studios and Lightstorm Entertainment, which provides a fascinating glimpse into the making of the Oscar®-winning box office phenomenon “Avatar: The Way of Water” and a first look at the upcoming “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, concept art, and interviews with cast and filmmakers. The filmmakers traveled from Manhattan Beach, San Pedro, Shasta Lake, and the Channel Islands to the Bahamas, Hawaii, and New Zealand, to follow the cast and below-the-line team as they work to hone and perfect the techniques of underwater performance capture technology and learn to free dive in a massive, state-of-the-art 680,000-gallon water tank.
The executive producers for “Fire And Water: Making The Avatar Films” are James Cameron and Rae Sanchini. The director/producer is Thomas C. Grane, the writer/producer is Richard Brehm, the creative director is Robert Glowacki, the director of photography is John Clisham, the director of photography – interviews is Steven Wacks, and the creative consultant is Geoff Burdick.
The two-part documentary includes interviews with (in order of appearance): James Cameron (writer/director/producer/editor), Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Jon Landau (producer), Stephen Lang, Maria Battle Campbell (co-producer, 1st assistant director), Richard Baneham (executive producer, Lightstorm visual effects supervisor), Kate Winslet, Rae Sanchini (executive producer, president, Lightstorm Entertainment), Margery Simkin (casting director), Jamie Landau (co-producer), Stephen Rivkin (editor), Ryan Champney (visual production supervisor), Dylan Cole (production designer), Garrett Warren (2nd unit director, stunt coordinator), Rob Innes (founder, Jetovator, Inc.), John Rosengrant (co-founder, Legacy Effects), Chis Denison (stunts), Joey Natale (stunts, stunt driver), Steve Brown (assistant stunt coordinator), Richie Schwalm (on-set coordinator), JD Schwalm (performance capture special effects coordinator), Peter Zuccarini (underwater cinematographer), John Garvin (supervising dive master), Kirk Krack (performance free dive instructor), Sigourney Weaver, Cliff Curtis, William Trubridge (Metkayina stroke consultant), Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Luke Freeborn (supervising art director), Ben Procter (production designer), Brigitte Yorke (co-producer, New Zealand unit production manager), Brendan Cowell, John Garvin (supervising dive master), Jack Champion, Joe Letteri (senior visual effects supervisor), Eric Saindon (Wētā FX, senior visual effects supervisor), Nick Epstein (Wētā FX, visual effects supervisor). Mob Scene served as the production company for the documentary.
#FIRSTLOOK: JAMES CAMERON’S “TITANIC” BACK IN THEATRES – NEW FEATURETTE
In celebration of the 25th Anniversary James Cameron’s Academy Award®- winning “Titanic”, the iconic Film will be back in theaters on Friday, February 10, 2023. Today we get a new Featurette reflecting on its legacy.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, a remastered version of James Cameron’s multi-Academy Award®-winning “Titanic” will be re-released to theaters in 3D 4K HDR and high-frame rate. With a cast headed by Oscar® winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, the film is an epic, action-packed romance set against the ill-fated maiden voyage of the “unsinkable” Titanic, at the time, the largest moving object ever built.
“Titanic” won a record 11 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction-Set Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects. Upon its initial release in 1997, the film became the #1 all-time global box office champ and is currently the third highest grossing film worldwide.
Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Studios present A Lightstorm Entertainment Production, “Titanic,” starringLeonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Bernard Hill, Jonathan Hyde, Danny Nucci, Gloria Stuart, David Warner, Victor Garber and Bill Paxton. Written and Directed by James Cameron, the film was Produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, with Rae Sanchini serving as Executive Producer.
See the new Trailer:
(Photo/video credit: Paramount Pictures Canada)
#FIRSTLOOK: AVATAR DAY DETAILS ANNOUNCED
Today, The Walt Disney Company is celebrating “Avatar Day” with the debut of the final trailer for “Avatar: The Way of Water,” James Cameron’s highly anticipated follow-up to his Academy Award®-winning “Avatar,” tonight during “Monday Night Football” game, which airs at 8:15PM ET on TSN. Fans counting the days to the film’s December 16th theatrical release can purchase tickets wherever tickets are sold. Now fans, communities and organizations can arrange group bookings and theatre buy-outs by visiting: https://www.avatartickets.ca/
Celebration events are taking place all over the world, including Venice–where its famous canals were turned blue with a projection on the water and buildings, Sydney–where the iconic Bondi Beach Icebergs Pool was transformed into a giant blue birds’ eye view billboard for the film, and New York City’s famed Times Square, where at approximately 7PM EST, “Avatar: the Way of Water” will simultaneously light up 40 digital screens, immersing viewers in an anamorphic 3D, nearly 360 degree experience of Pandora’s breathtaking underwater world.
The following gala premieres for the film were announced:
London – December 6 (World Premiere)
Seoul – December 9
Tokyo – December 10
Los Angeles – December 12
Disney also revealed that Snapchat has created an augmented reality Lens that turns any Snapchatter into a Na’vi. Every Snapchatter will get a personalized experience. The Lens uses machine learning to transform in real-time their mouth, eyes, head shape, hair and skin – complete with blue-striped texture – as if they came straight from Pandora.
World class global promotional partners, including Mercedes-Benz, NYX Professional Makeup – L’Oréal Groupe, will support the film with massive media campaigns and first to market activations.
And finally, beginning today in celebration of “Avatar Day,” the original 2009 “Avatar” is once again available to stream on Disney+.
With “Avatar: The Way of Water,” the cinematic experience reaches new heights as Cameron transports audiences back to the magnificent world of Pandora in a spectacular and stirring action-packed adventure.
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, “Avatar: The Way of Water” begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
Directed by James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, the Lightstorm Entertainment Production stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet. Screenplay by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver. Story by James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver & Josh Friedman & Shane Salerno. David Valdes and Richard Baneham serve as the film’s executive producers.
#GIVEAWAY: ENTER TO WIN ADVANCE PASSES TO SEE “ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL”
20th Century Fox Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to win Advance Passes to see ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL! Screenings take place as follows:
TORONTO
Thursday, February 7
7:00 PM
Scotiabank Theatre
MONTREAL – ENGLISH
Thursday, February 7
7:00PM
Cinema Banque Scotia
MONTREAL – FRENCH
Monday, February 11
7:00PM
Starcite Montreal
VANCOUVER
Thursday, February 7
7:00PM
Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver
Synopsis:
From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
See the Trailer:
Artwork:
To enter to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate in the comments there, your City. Montreal entrants, please indicate English, French or both. Re-Tweet this Tweet from @mrwillw for an extra chance!
20th Century Fox Canada release ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL Thursday, February 14, 2019.
(Photo/video credit: 20th Century Fox Canada)
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