Wow, Comic-Con 2009 is already less than three weeks away. Seems like only a couple of months ago since we were there. Last year was a ton of work but also a blast (click here for our wrap up of the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con), and this year we’ll be providing even more extensive coverage for you with additional staff to cover the event.

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James Cameron’s sci-fi blockbuster Avatar is one of many films that will most likely have a huge presence at this year’s 2009 San Diego Comic-Con.

Thanks to Coming Soon (and IESB), we have a first look at the banner for Avatar, which is already hanging up in San Diego, three weeks in advance of the convention.  Unfortunately, it’s only a snapshot instead of an officially released (read: high quality) image, but it’s definitely better to get somewhat of a look than no look at all! Check it out below (we’ve tried our best to enhance it):

Avatar is a film that we’ve covered a lot around here at Screen Rant, not only because it is hyped up to be one of the most visually amazing movies of the decade (and we like to keep an eye on that sort of thing to see if it’s true), but also because it heralds the return of director James Cameron, who hasn’t directed a feature film since 1997’s Titanic.

With technology finally catching up to an idea Cameron has had for fifteen years, soon we’ll get to see his Avatar vision come to full, 3D CGI life. And today Screen Rant has the first real details on Avatar, as well as some early critical buzz that we’ve all been eager for!

We recently got our first look at the official video game for the upcoming sci-fi blockbuster, Avatar, when director James Cameron appeared at Ubisoft’s E3 conference. Along with a lot of details on what the game will involve (and how it’s being developed at the same time as the movie), we got three cool looking images from it.

Actor Sam Worthington recently spoke to iF Magazine about what it’s like being “the ‘it’ star” of 2009. Having already made a splash in Hollywood with Terminator Salvation, Worthington will next star in James Cameron’s top-secret sci-fi epic Avatar this winter, and after that, in director Louis Leterrier’s (The Incredible Hulk) remake of Clash of the Titans next March.

Check out what Worthington had to say about his role in Clash of the Titans (and be sure to check out the cool new pic of Worthington as Perseus!), as well as his upcoming role in Avatar:

This week:

Will Ferrell has a Hangover while the box office is UP; Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway do Drugs; Mary-Kate Olsen, Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens are Beastly; Sigourney Weaver returns to aliens; Lemony Snicket gets animated and Roberts and Bardem Eat.

News has been released that Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson will make his first ever appearance at Comic-Con International this year, doing so to promote his upcoming mysterious sci-fi film District 9 that he is producing. Despite having many of his films hyped at the convention in years gone past, this is the first time he will be there in person. When his huge blockbuster remake of King Kong was being promoted at the Convention, Jackson was holed up in the editing room for the movie back in New Zealand. Even when the epic Lord of the Rings movies were being promoted there, Jackson was nowhere to be seen.

We have two new items related to James Cameron’s sci-fi F/X epic, Avatar. What we’ve seen so far from Avatar has reaffirmed that it’s going to be an eye-popping cinematic experience, touting some “revolutionary” special effects (although time will tell if it lives up to the hype).

Today we have news of a possible runtime for Avatar, by way of producer John Landau, as well as a cool fan-made teaser trailer for the film.

[UPDATE: We've Got a Sweet Pic of one of Avatar's "Heavy Loader" Powersuits!]

James Cameron recently made an appearance at game developer Ubisoft’s E3 press conference, where he talked about his upcoming sci-fi blockbuster Avatar and the video game which is being developed right alongside the movie.

The relationship between the Avatar movie and the game seems to be closer than it normally is. In a lot of cases, a game based on a movie is rushed out the door simply to have it on the shelves in time for the movie’s release. However, the Avatar game seems to not only have a heck of a lot of effort put into it - it seems like an extension of the movie.

We here at Screen Rant sometimes like to wait a moment before jumping on certain blogosphere bandwagons - a recent example being the half-composed images of a mech power suit that was allegedly part of James Cameron’s top secret 3D sci-fi epic, Avatar.

Well, good things do indeed come to those who wait: Instead of some grainy half-pic, we’ve go not one, but two new Avatar images - official concept art images - courtesy of Market Saw. One of the images is the aforementioned mech suit, in all its mechanized glory this time; the other is a futuristic aircraft.

With expectations and buzz at a record high, Avatar is sure to be one of the most interesting releases to keep an eye on, if for no other reason than to see just how well it does at the box office.

Part of Avatar’s theatrical release is in IMAX 3D, which makes sense since Cameron himself has practically invented the 3D technology to achieve the most immersive and “revolutionary” experience possible. But how long of a run will Avatar get in IMAX 3D theaters?

It’s no secret that the upcoming sci-fi blockbuster known as Avatar has already been built up to be the greatest innovation since the invention of celluloid. We’ve had praise coming out of the mouth of the director and mastermind of the project, James Cameron himself (helming his first movie since Titanic back in the late ’90s), as well as from other people involved in the project - and even by fellow filmmakers (such as Ridley Scott and Steven Soderbergh).

It was only about a month ago that Ridley Scott publicly stated he was extremely impressed with what James Cameron is doing with his upcoming “revolutionary” CGI-fest known as Avatar. He effectively said he’d be following in his footsteps as far as using the technology with his own upcoming movie Forever War, as well as calling it “phenomenal.” However, it seems that Scott hasn’t been the only director to be wowed by Mr Cameron’s work.

Another week means another wrap up.

This week:
We Tell No One about a new remake; Hollywood decides to tell us about The Day They Stole The Mona Lisa; Wolverine’s Danny Huston is beyond the Poseidon adventure; Maria Bello and Craig T. Nelson are Company Men and Amanda Peet Travels with Jack Black.

We’ve seen so little for the upcoming “industry-revolutionizing” James Cameron project, Avatar, but that’s not hampering our expectations from the accomplished director who’s not directed a live action feature film in almost 12 years.

The few updates we have seen so far include a tag line for Avatar, an interesting set photo with Cameron and news of a toy line for the movie by Mattel that will hit shelves in October, two months before release.

James Cameron’s upcoming visual effects-fest Avatar is one of those films that has already been, and will undoubtedly continue to be, followed pretty damn closely by movie fans from all over. And that’s entirely understandable - Avatar is the first live-action, full-length feature film time Cameron has directed since 1997’s all-time box office winner Titanic. He’s without a doubt a legend of the sci-fi genre, giving us some of the best we’ve ever seen (Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgement Day to name just a couple).

The names Ridley Scott and James Cameron will instantly get any movie buff’s attention upon mere mention. Both have contributed greatly to movie history, particularly in the sci-fi genre. Where would we be today without Scott’s Alien and Blade Runner, or without Cameron’s Aliens and the first two Terminator films?

Currently in the making is Scott’s upcoming film adaptation Forever War, which is based on the 1974 award-winning science fiction novel written by Joe Haldeman. It tells the tale of an interstellar war between humans and the enigmatic Tauran species. The book offered a mix of action and and in-depth storytelling, dealing with such things as the inhumanity of war, the bureaucracy that goes with it, and notions of time/space travel.

And, to bring all that to life onscreen, Scott is looking to follow in the technological footsteps of James Cameron’s Avatar.

If you were to only listen to James Cameron, the man behind the biggest grossing movie of all time Titanic, when he talks about his upcoming sci-fi flick Avatar, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. It’s been almost 15 years since he had the idea for the project, where at that point it was created to “push his digital-production company to the limits“, but finally now in the early part of the 21st century there is the technology available to get his idea to come to life on the big-screen.

If you haven’t heard, Avatar is being made with a revolutionary special effects technology (developed largely by Cameron himself) which blends “two unrelated technologies: e-motion capture, which uses images from tiny cameras rigged to actors’ heads to replicate their expressions, and digital 3D.”

Avatar, Screen Rant’s 2nd most anticipated film of 2009, is set to release at the end of the year. It is written and directed by arguably one of the best directors out there, James Cameron, a man who has earned the trust of Sci-Fi fans everywhere and a man who helmed the biggest grossing film of all time: Titanic.

There is an interesting phenomenon that’s currently happening in Hollywood concerning toys. A movie can have a line of toys before it has even been released. Better yet, a movie can have a line of toys before it’s even a movie.

It’s crazy to think that James Cameron hasn’t directed a live action feature in almost 12 years. The man behind such iconic movies as Terminator (1&2), The Abyss, Aliens and a little seen film called Titanic, amongst others, took a decade off so that technology could catch up with his vision. Finally it did and this December we get to see the long awaited (and much anticipated) Avatar.

Well, a new still featuring a thoughtful looking Cameron on set shows what one of the films sets will look like, and as expected it looks like a million dollars. Or considering that this is a James Cameron movie it’s probably more like $200 million. Cameron appears to be standing on a spaceship’s bridge or in some sort of cryo-chamber.

As 2008 approaches its end and we think back on all the big films of the year, we must take time to look forward at what is to come. That is exactly what we will do now - And I don’t use the term “we” lightly as I enlisted the help of the entire Screen Rant team to help me share with you our individual and collective thoughts of what movies to look forward to in 2009.

We began the tradition last year with the most anticipated movies of 2008, and here’s your bright, shiny 2009 version!

A behind-the-scenes image from James Cameron’s upcoming sci-fi film Avatar has been released. And no it’s not of some key scene or revelation of any of the CG elements promised by Cameron. But simply a picture of him and cast member Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation), pointing at something presumably fascinating off-picture.

Check it out below:

One week to Christmas and to take your mind off all the shopping that you haven’t done is the Mid Week Movie News Wrap Up.

This week:

Adam Shankman sails Sinbad; Sam Worthington may be The Phantom; Barry Sonnenfeld reads The How-To Guide for Saving the World and Rachel McAdams has Morning Glory.

I know that here at Screen Rant we’re sometimes behind the times when it comes to reporting movie news - we just don’t have the staff and the time that other sites do… but we do our best. I’ve said before and I’ll say it again: Sometimes that is a benefit to the site and to readers.

Case in point: Early yesterday (Novmber 21st) MarketSaw.com (a site run by a nice fellow with a big passion for 3D movies) broke a story containing what was supposed to be concept art for the main alien (Na’vi) in James Cameron’s upcoming 3D CGI/live action magnum opus: Avatar.

Way back last year (to the very day!) my first ever Screen Rant post was about the in-development Clash of the Titans movie. At the time nobody was yet cast in the film, but we knew that Lawrence Kasdan had penned the script. We know that Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier will helm the film, but until now we didn’t know who would be slipping into Harry Hamilin’s sandals to play Perseus in the Ray Harryhausen remake.

That changed today when news broke that the star of Terminator Salvation would be starring in the $100 million budgeted film.

Super nice guy Quint over at AICN had the chance a while back (prior to all the Terrence Howard/Don Cheadle news) to sit down with Iron Man director Jon Favreau. It’s a huge interview (took up two posts over at their site) and covers a lot of ground as far as Iron Man 2, The Avengers, and how all the movies involving Marvel Comics characters have to mesh into a cohesive whole.

As it stands, Hollywood studios are deadlocked in their contract negotiations with the Screen Actors Guild. That news stirs up foul memories of a year ago, when the Writers Guild of America was at a similar juncture with the studios… Soon after that there were no TV shows for about half a year.

And we all know what that did last year’s TV season.

If you haven’t heard, James Cameron’s upcoming sci-fi epic, Avatar, is a movie that is being filmed in photo-realistic, “stereoscopic 3D,” which mixes live-action and CGI imagery in a seamless blend.

We here at Screen Rant felt it was high time we helped get heads wrapped around the future of movie technology that Cameron is ushering in with Avatar - just as he ushered in the era of CGI with Terminator 2. And, in the spirit of sharing, we’ve come up with a layman’s dossier to help make you sound like a tech-wiz when describing Avatar’s innovative techniques around the water cooler. (You can thank us later.)

Guys over at Market Saw got a hold of some ‘concept art’ from James Cameron’s upcoming, “photo-realistic” 3-D, CGI epic, Avatar. And the pics definitely raise some interesting questions.