Who Plays Who?

Sam Worthington Zoe Saldana Sigourney Weaver Stephen Lang Michelle Rodriguez Giovanni Ribisi Joel David Moore CCH Pounder Wes Studi Laz Alonso Dileep Rao Matt Gerald Sean Anthony Moran Jason Whyte Scott Lawrence

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Jake Sully Neytiri Grace Colonel Miles Quaritch Trudy Chacon Parker Selfridge Norm Spellman Moat Eytukan Tsu'tey Dr Max Patel Corporal Lyle Wainfleet Private Fike Cryo Vault Med Tech Venture Star Crew Chief

The Inside Story "Avatar" is the most challenging film I’ve ever made," says the films writer, director and triple Oscar ® winnner for "Titanic" (Best Director, Best Film Editing & Best Picture) James Cameron. And that is a declaration with resonance, given Cameron’s global renown as a master storyteller with his highly entertaining films "The Terminator" (1984), "Aliens" (1986), "The Abyss" (1989) "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991), "True Lies" (1994) and "Titanic" (1997), were groundbreaking films featuring a mix of spectacle, compelling narratives and characters, and technical wizardry resolutely in service of story and emotion. Avatar's central figure, Jake Sully is a relatable everyman who unexpectedly rises to become a hero, as events draw him deeper into a clash of civilizations, between the Earth corporations bent on 'developing' Pandora and the indigenous Na’vi. Jake is a former Marine who places honor and duty above all, but he must eventually choose between his personal honor, in defense of what is right, and his supposed duty to those who have tasked him with his mission. "I wanted to create a familiar type of adventure in an unfamiliar environment," Cameron explained, "by setting the classic tale of a newcomer to a foreign land and culture on an alien planet. The story is by design classic in its broad strokes, but we have plenty of twists and turns in store for the audience. I’ve dreamed of creating a film like this, set on another world of great danger and beauty, since I was a kid reading pulp science fiction and comic books by the truckload, and sitting in math class drawing creatures and aliens behind my propped up textbook. With "Avatar", I finally got my chance." The setting for "Avatar" is Pandora, a moon with an Earthlike environment that orbits a gas-giant planet called Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri-A star system. At four point four million light years away, Alpha Centauri is our nearest stellar neighbor, and when itis discovered that Pandora is rich in a rare-earth mineral called Unobtainium, the race is on to mine the new world's resources. Unobtainium does not exist in our solar system, but it is the key to solving Earth’s energy crisis in the twenty second century, so the Resources Development Administration (RDA) is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to mine the distant world. "Avatar" takes place in 2154, three decades after a mining colony was established on Pandora. The encroachment by human activities into the territory of the indigenous Na’vi has created increasing tension between the two species and has set them down a path to war. Cameron was not interested in using makeup to create his alien species. Humanoid aliens have been played by actors in makeup for decades, since the 'B' movies of the ’50s, and on through four decades of “Star Trek” spin offs and other science fiction films and TV shows. Virtually every design and method for putting rubber onto actors faces has now been explored, and in addition it is inherently limiting. The size and the spacing of the eyes can’t be changed. The proportions of the body can’t be changed, nor can the overall size of the character. And rubber appliance makeup is limiting to the actor’s performance, because it acts as a barrier between the actor and the lens. With the performance capture method, none of these negatives apply. Though the CG characters in "Avatar" resemble the actors who play them, their fundamental proportions are different. The Na’vi eyes are twice the diameter of human eyes, and they are spaced farther apart. The Na’vi are much leaner than humans, with longer necks, and they have different bone and muscle structures, including the most obvious, their three-fingered hands. In 1995 Cameron saw the rapid advances in Computer Graphic characters, and thought that his dream project set on another world might be possible to make. Having already created CG milestone characters in "The Abyss" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day", he wanted to push CG arts to new heights, and so the visually ambitious "Avatar" was written. But when the treatment was broken down by CG experts, Cameron realized that the technologies required for photorealism were still years off, so the project was shelved. When Cameron revived the project in 2005, it seemed the techniques required were right around the corner. At that time there was still concern that the characters would not appear quite real, and would suffer from the disturbing 'dead eye' effect seen in some early performance capture films. Cameron’s team sought to go far beyond prior efforts, to ensure the complete reality of the characters. To do this, they developed a new 'image-based facial performance capture' system, using a head-rig camera to accurately record the smallest nuances of the actors’ facial performances. Instead of using the motion capture technique of placing reflective markers on the actors faces to capture their expressions, the actors wore special headgear, not unlike a football helmet, to which a tiny camera was attached. The rig faced towards the actors faces and the camera recorded facial expression and muscle movements to a degree never before possible. Most importantly, the camera recorded eye movement, which had not been the case with prior systems. Another innovation created especially for his latest film was the Virtual Camera, which allowed Cameron to shoot scenes within his computer-generated world, just as if he were filming on a Hollywood soundstage. Through this virtual camera, the director would see not Zoë Saldana, but her ten foot tall blue-skinned character, Neytiri. Instead of Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver, he would see their giant blue avatars, complete with tails and huge golden eyes. And instead of the austere gray space of the Volume, he would see the lush rainforest of Pandora, or perhaps the floating Hallelujah Mountains, or the human colony at Hell’s Gate. So does that actors and actresses will eventually become obsolete? "Actors ask me if we’re trying to replace them," Cameron replied. "On the contrary, we’re trying to empower them, to give them new methods to express themselves and to create characters, without limitation. I don't want to replace actors; I love working with actors. It's what I do, as a director. What we'’re trying to replace is the five hours in the makeup chair, which is how you used to create characters like aliens, werewolves, witches, demons and so on. Now you can be whoever or whatever you want, at any age, even change gender, and without the time and discomfort of complex makeup." After spending months looking at actors in the U.S. and Europe, casting director Margery Simkin reported to Cameron that she found a candidate: in Australia. Sam Worthington, Simkin told the filmmaker, had a "visceral quality and would make audiences believe that people would follow him. There was an intelligence and intensity in his eyes that never wavered." Intrigued, the filmmakers offered Worthington an audition, but Sam was initially skeptical due to the secrecy surrounding the project and the scant details about the character of Jake being offered to him at that time. "I got a phone call to do this audition, but they wouldn’t tell me anything about the script or even who the director was," 2004 AFI Award winner Worthington ("Somersault") recalls. And what was his intial thought? "Well, here’s another waste of my time." A week later he would receive another phone call telling him: "Look, Jim Cameron wants to fly you to L.A. to audition for him." Worthington responded with, "Yes, but for what?" After Cameron filled him in on the story and on the character of Jake, he an intriguing question to complete his pitch to the actor: "Are you ready to start the adventure?" Worthington, who played Barry 'Wattsy' Wirth in "Gettin' Square" had one earthbound priority to fulfill before beginning his journey to Pandora. "I told Jim, yes, of course I’ll join him on the adventure; but first I’ve got to get the brakes fixed on my car." Worthington's innate fearlessness not only helped him capture Jake’s spirit and courage, it stood him in good stead with his director, a bigger than life figure in his own right. "I take my work seriously, just like Jim takes his work seriously," says Worthington. "We both come at the work wanting to give it everything we’ve got." While many of the actors, including Worthington (Cpl B.J. 'Depot' Guidry in "Hart's War"), received special physical and weapons training, Worthington was more interested in the mental preparation to portray Jake. "I didn’t want my prep to be like boot camp. Anyone can do push-ups. I hung out with Jim’s brother, John David, a former Marine. To me it was more about capturing the way these Marines see the world and how their training can make them think they’re unstoppable." Worthingtons co-star in the film is Zoe Saldana. Seen recently in "Star Trek" playing Uhura, Cameron cast her in the role of Neytiri. Saldana says it "was the most physically demanding role I’ve ever done, and I trained for months before production to capture the character’s grace and power. I wanted to incorporate my body into a character, and "Avatar" was an amazing opportunity to do that. And Saldana’s reaction to the CG renderings of Neytiri? "I thanked Jim. Neytiri is sexy and cut, long and lean. And the performance was all me!" Saldana’s pre-production training regimen included riding, martial arts, archery, and movement study and practice. In addition, she and other principal cast members traveled with Cameron to Hawaii, which substituted for the environment he had envisioned for Pandora. "We had to live without sophisticated technology, tools and comforts," Saldana who played Angie Jones in "Vantage Point" recalls: "I was almost naked for three days, digging and climbing and muddy like a dead rat." Another female in Jake’s new life on Pandora is Grace Augustine, a trained botanist who runs the Avatar Program and has lived on Pandora for fifteen years. "Avatar" reunites Cameron with the actress who played Ellen Ripley in "Aliens": Sigourney Weaver. "Grace is trying to create a bridge of trust with the Na’vi but she keeps getting sabotaged by the soldiers on the base. Grace loves Pandora and the Na’vi with all her heart, and hopes she can somehow protect them from the forces of industrial Earth." Augustine’s bête noir is Colonel Miles Quaritch, head of security for the human base on Pandora. Played by 2004 Grace Award winner Stephen Lang ("Gods and Generals"), Quaritch has nothing but contempt for the Avatar Program because it runs counter to his mission, which is to protect the humans who live and work on Pandora. "It’s a sad thing for him to be in a veritable Eden and yet be incapable of understanding it." And just in case you're wondering, noted linguist Paul Frommer Ph.D. worked with Cameron to devise an entire language for the Na’vi. And spare a thought for Worthington. He had to learn language and aquire an American accent. "It was like learning two languages," he recalled. "And let me tell you: the Na’vi language was easier than the American accent!" The Verdict "While some may find "Avatar" a little long and the initial storytelling a tad uninteresting, the majority of cinemagoers will be 'blown away' by what unfolds on the big screen in Oscar ® winner James Cameron's stunning production, which is truly a feast for all the senses. The incredible, breathtaking beauty of the planet Pandora is soon overshadowed by the greed of those who seek to mine the planets wealth, Unobtainium. This is a story we can all relate to, considering the revelations of greed that have surfaced in the wake of the financial meltdown. The initial emotions of awe and elation are quickly replaced by anger, disgust and heartbreak in the second act of "Avatar". It is here that we are challenged to take sides. The very existence of the native population, the Na'vi, is under threat. It seems an impossible ask that these forrest dwelling, primitive people, who are so contected to the planet spiritually, can survive against the technological might of the human invaders and their machines of death. Whether you're at the boxoffice or booking on-line, remember this: "Avatar" should be experienced in 3D. 4 1/2 STARS." Synopsis

Despite his broken body and being confined to a wheelchair, former Marine Jake Sully is still a warrior at heart. He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost on Pandora, where a corporate consortium is mining a rare mineral that is the key to solving Earth’s energy crisis. Because Pandora’s atmosphere is toxic, they have created the Avatar Program, in which human 'drivers' have their consciousness linked to an avatar, a remotely-controlled biological body that can survive in the lethal air. These avatars are genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with DNA from the natives of Pandora: the Na'vi. Reborn in his avatar form, Jake can walk again. His mission is to infiltrate the Na'vi, who have become a major obstacle to mining the precious ore. When Na’vi female, Neytiri, saves his life, everything changes. Taken in by her clan he quickly learns to respect the Na’vi way. It will lead to Jake facing the ultimate test: an epic battle against unthinkable odds. One that will decide the fate of an entire world.

What Do The Critics Say

"It's all nonsense of course, but in the best possible way; pure Hollywood entertainment at it's best. Forget any misconceptions you may have about this movie, it doesn't look like a computer game, the aliens aren't like giant Smurf's and it's definitely not your typical Hollywood fantasy movie. Take the misses or take your mates, see it at the cinema and see it in 3D. This is, after all, what cinema was made for." Russell Clark MAXIM "Avatar never overstays its welcome and manages to be a brilliant, visual extravaganza that's simultaneously thrilling, provocative and surprisingly moving." Avi Offer NEW YORK MOVIE GURU "I had the feeling coming out of this movie that I haven’t felt since maybe I was eleven years old in 1977 and I saw Star Wars for the first time." A.O. Scott AT THE MOVIES "Somehow it all works wonderfully well, thanks mainly to Cameron's story-telling skills and to the movie's fantastically detailed vision." David Stratton ABC AT THE MOVIES "Avatar is a richly symbolic, captivating and immense film which laces together some of the great mythical stories of mankind into a contempo action adventure fusing its sci fi genes with spiritual and ecological themes. And it pivots on romance. A film that tackles that much material has to be large in scale, and not even Cameron's massive Titanic measures up to the epic visual and dramatic scope of Avatar: whether in 2D or 3D. The action sequences are superbly created by a digital army of compositors and FX engineers: including a brigade of motion capture specialists; and the seamless visual effects render the tall, blue Na'vi entirely credible" Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

"Avatar is an exciting, visually arresting, and occasionally powerful slab of Hollywood filmmaking driven by one of the industry's most committed, passionate, stand-alone creative forces. Outside of the boldness of his own political/environmental agenda, Avatar is further proof of James Cameron's striking skill as a visualist and storyteller. The film is rich and imaginative, and despite its hefty running time, it moves at a cracking pace." Erin Free FILMINK "Mr. Cameron's singular vision has upped the ante for filmed entertainment, and given us a travelogue unlike any other. I wouldn't want to live on Pandora, mainly because of the bad air, but I'm glad to have paid it a visit." WALL STREET JOURNAL "What Avatar does best of all is immerse the viewer in this alien world until it seems like home." Robert Roten LARAMIE MOVIE SCOPE "Staggering, spellbinding, a virtual trip to another world. Cameron has created the best film of the year and maybe of the decade." JACKIE K COOPER "The scale is extraordinary as is the bewitching world of Avatar that James Cameron has created with jaw-dropping technology, stunning production design and exotic golden eyed, blue-skinned aliens whose passions are as tangible as the giant flying dragons on which they fly. A hugely ambitious project many years in the planning, Cameron has cleverly structured his screenplay, allowing us to enter the reality through the jaded eyes of the film's protagonist, played by Sam Worthington. This is an event of a film, a spectacle that allows us to live the fantasy and one that, despite its length, keeps us connected till the very last frame." Andrew L Uurban URBAN CINEFILE

The Production Team

Director Written by Producers Original Music Cinematography Film Editor Casting Production Designer Supervising Art Directors Set Decoration Costume Design

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James Cameron James Cameron James Cameron & Jon Landau James Horner Mauro Fiore John Refoua & Stephen Rivkin Margery Simkin Rick Carter & Robert Stromberg Todd Cherniawsky/Kevin Ishioka/Kim Sinclair Kim Sinclair Mayes C Rubeo & Deborah Lynn Scott

Run Time 161 minutes Rated M [AUST] ©2009 - Fox Films - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2009 All Rights Reserved The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark laws applied.