Avatar - New James Cameron film

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Matt Damon: 'Avatar suffered without me'

Matt Damon has joked that Avatar would have been more successful if he had starred in it.

Last month, director James Cameron revealed that he considered Damon for the lead role.

Damon has now explained that he turned down a part in the record-breaking movie because filming clashed with The Bourne Ultimatum.

"It's true, and I read the script and thought it was great," Damon told Access Hollywood.

"I talked to [Cameron] a couple of times about it. It was when we were making The Bourne Ultimatum.

"The timing was just off. [Cameron] was great. He said, 'No, you should absolutely stay and finish the job'. He was a gentleman about it."

Damon added that he was upset he could not join the Avatar cast because he wanted to work with Cameron.

"It was harder to let go of because I really wanted to watch Jim Cameron work," he explained. "I always take jobs because of the director... I think everybody would like the chance to sit next to Cameron."

He also joked about the success of the movie and said: "Clearly my not participating cost the film a lot."

Damon was recently cast as Robert F. Kennedy in a new biopic of the politician.

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Zoe Saldana hoping for 'Avatar' sequel

Zoe Saldana has revealed that she would love to work on a sequel to Avatar.

Saldana, who played Neytiri in the movie, told Access Hollywood that she would have jumped at the chance to reprise her role even if it hadn't been in her contract.

"We signed our lives away for whatever was going to happen," she explained. "It was the kind of thing that, had they not asked me to sign, I would have offered myself regardless.

"Any excuse to go back and reunite with [director] Jim [Cameron] and the rest of the cast, especially Sam [Worthington] and Sigourney [Weaver], is something that I won't even hesitate [to do]."

Saldana also admitted that she is still coming to terms with the success of the movie.

"Life happens and it goes so fast," she said. "It's been so wonderful so far."

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Worthington predicts five 'Avatar' films

Sam Worthington has predicted that there will be several Avatar films.

The actor, who played Jake Sully in the original movie, told Access Hollywood that director James Cameron will have high standards for the sequels.

"I'm starting to think we're going to do Avatar 3, 4, 5," he said.

"But that's the thing - we're only going to do it if Jim can find someone to challenge him because he's not the type of guy that just dives in lightly."

He added: "Jim will only do a movie if it's a challenge for him and if he can revolutionise something. I know with Jim, he has to find his personal challenge for it."

Worthington also revealed that he would love the chance to work with Cameron again.

He said: "I signed for a couple [of sequels] but I'll work with Jim for a bucket of fish!"

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'Avatar 2' to explore Pandora's ocean

James Cameron has revealed that the Avatar sequel will explore Pandora's ocean.

Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Cameron confirmed that he plans to expand the scope of the alien world and set much of Avatar 2 underwater.

"Part of my focus in the second film is in creating a different environment - a different setting within Pandora," he said. "And I'm going to be focusing on the ocean on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative, but it just won't be a rain forest. I'm not saying we won't see what we've already seen; we'll see more of that as well."

Cameron has previously explored the depths of the ocean in The Abyss and Titanic, and more recently in his documentaries Expedition: Bismarck, Ghosts Of The Abyss and Aliens Of The Deep.

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'Avatar' sets Blu-ray sales record

Avatar has set an all-time record for Blu-ray sales on its first day of release.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar has sold 1.5m copies in the US, outpacing sales of the former reigning top-seller The Dark Knight.

An early industry estimate set overall disc sales of the title comfortably above 4m units, putting it well on track to become the year's top-selling release to date.

Retailers sold out of 60% of their Blu-ray inventory on average, a Fox rep said. He declined to specify unit shipments.

Mass merchants moved roughly 50% of their "Avatar" DVDs, the spokesman added.

The release was intended to coincide with Earth Day, following the film's ecological theme.

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[Janice]

I saw it just the other day....good movie

[Styles]

I just wasted 50 minutes of my life watching the first 50 minutes of Avatar, wow what an over-rated movie thus far, I have no desire to see it to the end. Once those blue freaks started to talk and no sub's were available, it killed it for me.

I pretty much know how this cliche movie will end, I did a bit of fast forwarding and I don't think I will miss out on much.

I find the plot of this movie disgusting, humans = bad, blue freaks = good and a selfish Marine turns his back on humanity so he can **** some blue freak, what a load of wank.

I do have one question though, why do the humans want some 'dirt' that is worth $20M or whatever it's worth, they haven't explained why the 'dirt' is so expensive 50 minutes into the movie and somehow I doubt they will.

[Mb.Eddie]

It's designed to be watched in 3d, you're already missing out on the best thing about it.

[Aviator]

The movie is basically a rip off of a disney movie called Atlantis. But it's better to look at.

[Styles]

Ed, I don't watch movies for its special effects, I watch it for the story, characters, to be entertained etc.

Watching this movie in 3D isn't going to make it better, they may as well have run a 150 minute tech demo if this is why people love this shit so much.