Sam Worthington is traveling from the jungles of Pandora to the fields of... uh, he's just traveling to "The Fields."
The "Avatar" actor has signed on to star in "The Fields," a police thriller directed by Ami Canaan Mann, daughter of "Heat" filmmaker Michael Mann. Mann himself is acting as a producer on the project.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "The Fields" comes from Don Ferrarone's screenplay based upon the true story of unsolved murders in the Texas bayou. Worthington plays a Texas homicide detective that unites with a detective from New York to solve the crime. Read more...
Sam Worthington had a helluva 2009. He was the bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming return to mankind's bleak, Skynet-run future in "Terminator Salvation." Now he's a name on everyone's lips for his starring role in James Cameron's "Avatar," which as of yesterday passed "Titanic" as the top-grossing worldwide release of all-time.
Worthington isn't about to let that cred fade away either; we'll next see him in March -- or April, if yesterday's 3-D news pans out -- as Perseus in "Clash of the Titans." And now there's talk that he may also be getting involved with the latest pop culture phenomenon: vampires. Dracula, to be precise. Read more...
Shortly before "Avatar" came out, director James Cameron told MTV that he has a larger story in mind for the movie's universe. "We'll follow Jake and Neytiri," he said. "I have a trilogy-scaled arc of story right now, but I haven't really put any serious work into writing a script."
At that point, there was nothing official to announce. People knew the movie was going to make money -- this is James Cameron we're talking about -- but no one could know just what a monumental success "Avatar" would become. Now that we know? Cameron's much more open to discussing what's next. Read more...
FROM MTV.COM: The list of iconic film roles that almost went to other actors is a long and continuous one. O.J. Simpson as the Terminator? Kurt Russell as Han Solo? Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly?! To this bunch, add Matt Damon and Jake Gyllenhaal.
As James Cameron confirmed to MTV News, both those A-listers were being considered for the starring role of Jake Sully in "Avatar," a part that ultimately went to then-unknown Australian actor Sam Worthington.
Continue reading 'Avatar' Director James Cameron: Matt Damon, Jake Gyllenhaal Were Considered For Film
FROM MTV.COM: Robotic body suits, evil corporations, do-not-mess-with-me female sidekicks — these are just some of the recurring motifs in the films of James Cameron, present from 1984's "Terminator" up through current box-office and awards-season pet "Avatar."
But it's not just these whiz-bang action-flick factors that connect "Avatar" to the director's earlier work. The forbidden love story between ex-Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and silky blue alien Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) calls to mind another set of star-crossed paramours: Jack and Rose from "Titanic," otherwise known as Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Both couples come from radically different cultures that are contemptuous of their relationship and are forced to choose sides between the competing communities. (Earlier this week, we explored whether Worthington and Saldana will follow DiCaprio's and Winslet's post-Cameron career paths.)
Continue reading James Cameron Compares His 'Avatar' And 'Titanic' Couples
FROM MTV.COM: At first glance, the pair would seem to be miles apart. Leonardo DiCaprio is arguably the biggest movie star in the world, a three-time Oscar nominee in the prime of his career, a fiercely private all-American actor whose name can get any script the green light. Sam Worthington is an endearingly outspoken British/Australian veteran roughly the same age, positioned as "the next big thing" for some time and only now breaking through with a series of high-profile flicks.
To some, however, history may be repeating itself. A little more than a decade after DiCaprio became a household name with "Titanic," a billion dollars' worth of moviegoers have now seen Worthington's face in "Avatar." With that in mind, here are three reasons why King of the World James Cameron might be once again playing kingmaker — and three others why Sam will never reach Leo's heights:
Continue reading Is 'Avatar' Star Sam Worthington The New Leonardo DiCaprio?
Even for a movie as long as "Avatar" is -- roughly 160 minutes -- there's bound to be some stuff that gets left out. It's the nature of these things; you make a movie, then you trim out excess fat; elements that slow things down, feel out of place or simply don't work for one reason or another. Then of course you put out a Blu-ray/DVD and either incorporate all of that stuff back into the movie or parse it out into a separate section for viewers to enjoy.
Apparently, "Avatar" was quite the epic-length tale in one of its earlier cuts. Star Sam Worthington told MTV's Josh Horowitz as much in an interview at the movie's London press junket. "The first time i saw the movie, i think it was like four hours long or something, four and half hours," he said. "You'll have to ask [director James Cameron]." And that's exactly what we did, as you'll see in the video after the jump. Read more...
FROM SPLASH PAGE: Even though he hasn't been contacted by Marvel Studios, Sam Worthington would kill to play Captain America. Still, the actor — who stars in tomorrow's massively hyped "Avatar" from director James Cameron — understands that some fans would have a problem with an Australian assuming the most iconic American superhero's mantle.
That's not to say that Worthington should be ruled out from playing Steve Rogers — I personally would have no trouble with that casting, even if that's not the majority opinion — but in the spirit of finding an amicable resolution, I think we should explore some other comic book options for the up-and-coming actor, who is already signed on for "The Last Days of American Crime."
If the role of Cap goes to another actor, here are five other comic book heroes that Worthington could play fantastically.
Continue reading SECRET IDENTITY: Five Comic Book Characters Sam Worthington Could Play
I hope you enjoyed "Behind the Screen"! Here's our exclusive clip from director James Cameron's "Avatar." Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), in his avatar form, takes to Pandora's skies atop his pet bird/lizard/flying thing with his new Na'vi friend Ney'tiri (Zoe Saldana) at his side. All is going swimmingly until a giant, red bird/lizard/flying thing swoops in to spoil the pair's fun. Stupid indigenous animals and their predatory ways.
FROM SPLASH PAGE: It's the understatement of the year to say that reactions were mixed when I posted a story last week wondering aloud about "Avatar" star Sam Worthington's choice of clothing during MTV's live "Avatar" Q&A event. The actor, who starred in the recent "Terminator: Salvation" and will play Perseus in the upcoming "Clash of the Titans" remake, was seen wearing an "Avengers" shirt — so with tongue firmly planted in cheek, I asked whether it could be possible Worthington was campaigning for a role in "The Avengers" or "Captain America" movies.
The response was, to put it mildly, pretty polarizing. Some sites seemed to get the joke and play along, others took the post a little too seriously — but in the end, it certainly kicked off discussion of whether the Australian actor could (or should) play one of Marvel's heroes.
Cue the recent "Avatar" junket, and Worthington's arrival at the interview wearing a Captain America t-shirt...
"I'm a fan, mate. That's what it really is," laughed Worthington when asked about the shirt.
Continue reading 'Avatar' Star Sam Worthington 'Would Kill to Play Captain America'
