[UPDATE: Worlds Away has secured an official U.S. theatrical release date. Read on...]

Some of you reading this may recall over a year ago, when news first got out that James Cameron had plans to bring the world of Cirque du Soleil performance art to life in 3D, with Andrew Adamson (the first two Shrek and Chronicles of Narnia flicks) charged with both writing an original storyline and directing the flick.

Well, that project now has an actual title (Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away) and has been acquired by Paramount Pictures, which plans to distribute the 3D project in theaters around the world at some point in 2012.

The plot of Worlds Away is said to concern an ordinary person who travels to a "magical realm" inhabited by creatures and characters inspired/based on Cirque du Soleil figures featured in the group's Las Vegas shows. However, as Cirque executive producer/head honcho Jacques Méthé puts it, the real point of Cameron and Adamson's 3D project is to offer a "unique point of view [that] allows the audience to discover the artistic details of our productions and reveal the human spirit that our artists bring to the audience in their performances."

In other words: the film is meant offer people who've never been to a live Cirque show the chance to see one, while also providing more of that intimate and immersive viewing experience that 3D (when done right) offers.

All things considered, that's actually a pretty good idea. Cirque du Soleil shows are famous for their strangely colorful costumes, nail-biting acrobatics, mind-boggling gymnastic maneuvers, and technologically-advanced stage setups that literally rearrange themselves, moment by moment. It's not something everyone will love, for sure, but it is something worth checking out at least once.

Obviously, a 3D Cirque movie (even one shot using Cameron's go-to tech) isn't going to offer the same experience as a live performance, but it would easily offer a better look at a show than, say, the nosebleed section in an actual theater (not to mention, be a good deal cheaper). Likewise, assuming Cameron and Adamson have done this Cirque film correctly, there should be some pretty wicked, vertigo-inducing shots in there that would make it all the more worth seeing on a big screen.

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We will keep you posted on any additional noteworthy developments concerning Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away.

UPDATE: Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away is now scheduled to hit U.S. theaters on December 21st, 2012.

Source: Paramount Pictures