Arnold's Juicy Role in Cameron's AVATAR?
A Small but Epic Role for The Oak!
Reported By: ABking
Wednesday, June 14, 2006

James Cameron has finally announced his next big budget epic project and it's AVATAR, a film he's wanted to make for over a decade now. We all know Schwarzenegger is a great friend of Cameron and that action fans have wanted them to make another action extravaganza since they completed TRUE LIES back in 1994 and T2:3D in 1997.

In an interview months back at AICN and IGN FILM FORCE, Jim mentioned how he wanted to produce ALIEN 5 to be directed by Ridley Scott and starring Schwarzenegger as a tough-as-nails marine. The project fell apart after Fox stupidly went with the idea of greenlighting ALIEN vs PREDATOR. Though the movie was a good hit for Fox grossing 80 million domestic, 90 million foreign and a decent 171 million worldwide, AvP is not the classic or bigger box-office hit ALIEN 5 could have been if it had the trio of Schwarzenegger/Cameron/Scott.

But now that we know Cameron is making AVATAR next, could he have written a marine role in it for Arnie? According to a breakdown call sheet for the film, it starts shooting in November (the time we find out if Arnie wins or looses his 2nd run for election).

James Cameron and his camp published a cease and desist letter for legal purposes regarding his AVATAR breakdown, but the role I believe fits Arnold perfectly like his Dutch character in PREDATOR can be read below along with the storyline for the James Cameron film.:

STORYLINE: In the future, Jake, a paraplegic war veteran is brought to another planet, Pandora, which is inhabited by the Na'vi, a humanoid race with their own language and culture. Those from Earth find themselves at odds with each other and the local culture.

[QUARITCH] (40-50) Male American. A seasoned Marine Corps colonel who has come to Pandora to be in charge of the troops. One side of his face is twisted by scars from an encounter with some Pandoran predator. He is calm and focused. He has trained his whole life for a war and wants to fight one here. He believes he is doing the right thing.

Ok, we all know Arnold doesn't look his age (Arnold will be 59 years young in July). He can pass off for 50 like the character calls for. Arnie also said back in his PREDATOR days in 1987 that he would love to make another film leading a crew as he did playing Dutch. If he plays Quaritch in AVATAR, he would once again get the opportunity.

According to Stax at the IGN FILM FORCE website, if the story holds true to the Avatar treatment Cameron wrote several years back, these Na'vi could be humans "possessed" by incorporeal aliens, who use them as their avatars.

A character named Jake is the star of the story — a young, angry human who has his life turned around when he visits Pandora. On that strange world, he meets Neytiri, an "exotic" young woman who becomes his teacher and lover. "She moves and behaves with confidence and a sense of nobility," reads her casting call. "Lithe as a cat. Athletic and agile, she is a warrior. Graceful movement and an ear for languages and dialects are essential."

Other characters include Norm, Jake's human pal; Tsu'tey, Neytiri's former betrothed who must reconcile his hate for Jake with his need to save his people; Quaritch, a Marine Corp general who's come to Pandora in search of a war; and Selfridge, Earth's governor for their operations on Pandora.

Project 880 is going to be shot with Cameron's digital 3-D technology, the first major film to be made in this format. Cameron has previously described his ambitious project as "completely crazy, balls-out sci-fi", and doesn't feel normal film projection methods can capture the movie he's planning to make.

Cameron is also considering a massively multiplayer online RPG (role-playing game) to tie in with the film and its universe. Read more about that in an earlier IGN FilmForce article.

Lets wait and see what happens in November! If Arnie looses the election in California, maybe his big comeback role outside of TERMINATOR 4 will be with his great friend Jim Cameron. Arnold playing a marine colonel is as good as it gets!

----------
ABking