Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron will produce a 3-D adventure thriller for Rogue Pictures. Rogue co-presidents Andrew Karpen and Andrew Rona made the announcement today.
Rogue has worldwide distribution rights to the as-yet-untitled feature and will make the movie with Mr. Cameron’s Earthship Productions, the production company that the filmmaker founded to advance his extensive underwater expeditions and documentary work of the past decade.
Emmy Award nominee Gary Johnstone will direct, from a script by John Garvin. Mr. Johnstone’s credits include telefilms and documentaries; he co-directed the Emmy Award-winning Expedition: Bismarck with Mr. Cameron. Andrew Wight, producer and expedition leader on all Earthship productions to date, will produce the film with Mr. Cameron.
Rogue senior vice president of production Adrienne Biddle is supervising the project for Messrs. Karpen and Rona. Rogue and Mr. Cameron will continue to evolve the script together as they search for a cast of actors who will be filmed in real caves in Mexico and Papua New Guinea.
The film will be shot with the 3-D Fusion camera system, developed by Mr. Cameron and Vince Pace. The HD/3-D lensing will allow the film to be theatrically released in both traditional theaters in 2-D and simultaneously in theaters equipped for digital 3-D exhibition.
The story takes place in the breathtaking world of cave diving, one of the last frontiers of exploration remaining on this planet. The film will explore the human mind as well as the underground depths, as the characters are stripped to their most primitive selves after they are trapped and lost deep below sea level. There, a father and son will struggle to survive and come to terms with each other in the most dangerous and unforgiving environment on Earth.
Mr. Cameron comments, “Earthship is a small guerrilla group that has proven itself capable of efficient production under the most intense conditions anywhere in the world. Expanding its mission statement to include features seemed a natural evolution. We decided to make a gritty, expedition-themed film using the 3-D cameras and techniques that we’ve developed. When we looked for a partner, Rogue seemed the best fit, because they really understood the type of picture we want to make. Plus, they’re genuine fans of film, so they’re fun to work with.”
Messrs. Karpen and Rona said, “The advances that James Cameron has made with this technology and with underwater capabilities are groundbreaking. This film will transport audiences into an undersea adventure charged with wonder and thrills.”
