How James Cameron Wrote Three ‘Avatar’ Sequels Simultaneously

[Jachyra]

Interesting article from /Film about how JC managed the script writing of the 3 sequels.

Basically, he wrote 1,500 pages (!!!) of treatment, assembled the script writers we now know are penning the 3 scripts in a joint meeting (as they do for TV), discussed the trilogy as a group and only after that did he assign writers to each of the 3 movies. Very cool.

Excerpt:

We tried an experiment. We set ourselves a challenge of writing three films at the same time. And I could certainly write any one of them but to write three in some reasonable amount of time – we wanted to shoot them together so we couldn’t start one until all three scripts were done and approved. So I knew I was going to have to “parallel process” which meant I would have to work with other writers. And the best experience I had working with other writers was in television when I did Dark Angel. The television room is a highly collaborative, fun experience.

And here's the link.

Cheers!

[Moco Loco]

Sounds like a pretty good strategy to me.

[Empty Glass]

Cause the first thing I did was sat for a year and wrote 1500 pages of notes of the world and the cultures and the different clans and different animals and different biomes and so on.

Dang...

[Raiden]

Animals...?

Biomes..........?

[CyanRachel]

Irayo, Jachyra, for posting the link to this new article on JC's script writing for the Avatar sequels.
Wow -- some interesting stuff! Sounds like he set up a pretty good system for writing these 3 films, esp in terms of working with the other writers he hired. And I'm not at all surprised that he wrote 1500 pages of just notes. Wouldn't expect anything less from JC.

[scoooterc]

I Think all films by James Cameron are good or great (ok maybe not piranha II), but i think Aliens is the best film he ever made. It is truly incredibly close to a masterpiece, if not exactly that, a masterpiece.