Have you noticed all the buzz surrounding the new movie AVATAR? Written and directed by James Cameron, this 4-year project just might set the new standard in digital effects, mixing human and digital actors, and the proper application of 3-D effects for theater viewing.

In the past few weeks, I’ve seen High Definition extended trailers shown on Fox, trailers at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium “Jerryland” or as one friend of mine referred to it as the “Death Star.” Last week I received my latest copy of Wired Magazine and there is a 12-page article about the movie and the effects process. Playboy had an exclusive interview about James Cameron and how this movie has been taking up all his time. Tonight, on 60 Minutes there was an interview with James Cameron, similar to the Playboy interview, in which he describes the 4-year journey and what his movie attempts to bring to moviegoers.

For James Cameron, it is extremely hard to top the the success of his last film, “Titatic.” This movie made well over a billion dollars and still remains the most profitable movie of all time. AVATAR, which cost roughly $400 million to make, is gonna take some time to make money above and beyond production costs, but I have a feeling….this movie could start making money in roughly two weeks.

Along with the movie, James Cameron worked exclusively on Avatar, the video game, which should hit stores on December 1st. This Ubisoft produced game (same folks that brought you Halo) takes you on a first-person adventure two-years prior to the time the movie takes place. I’ve seen the game trailers and it looks spectacular! I can’t wait to see it on my HDTV.

If you wondering when the movie will hit….mark your calendars for Dec 18th. I am curious to hear your thoughts and predictions on the success of this movie. I am already predicting Oscars for Best Visual Effects, Sound Mixing & Editing, Cinematography, and Art Direction. We’ll see how I do when March rolls around.

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