While he hadn’t actually zeroed in on what his next directorial project would be, James Cameron’s recent comments have led everyone to believe that he’ll be sticking on Pandora and the surrounding worlds for a sequel to Avatar. But now it appears he’s planning to land on Earth again for a non-fiction look at the indigenous people of the Amazon.
Okay, so we doubt this will end up being a massive feature film, but it may well indicate that the filmmaker is looking to follow up Avatar with an eco-themed message documentary based on his experiences meeting the Xikrin-Kayapo tribe of Brazil.
Speaking to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper (with his comments helpfully translated by Agence France-Presse), Cameron has been invited to meet the tribal elders following his time with the tribe, part of which was spent filming a short that will be included on the fully loaded Avatar DVD coming this Christmas.
The tribe is opposed to a dam being built on the Xingu River, which the natives fear will flood around 500 square kilometres along the banks of the river, and which would, they claim, displace 16,000 people. The Brazilian government claims it has spent millions aiming to reduce the impact of the project.
Cameron is apparently going back to document their lives and struggle. “I want to take a 3D camera to film how they live, their culture. When I was asked to help the Brazilian Indians, who were desperate, I could not turn away." Of course, it doesn't hurt that the struggle of a native people against a bigger, stronger modern force is just a little bit like Avatar's plot.
It’s not clear what will happen to the footage: it might turn into something along the lines of Ghosts of the Abyss, or it may become a limited-release campaign documentary. Stil, expect to see it in some form in the not-too-distant future.