Avatar TV Series Could Happen But Only on This Condition

By Kofi Outlaw

Will Avatar become a TV series? Series creator James Cameron isn't ruling it out completely, but he definitely has a pretty steep condition for it. In classic Jim Cameron fashion, he wants new technology to be developed first. In a new interview, Cameron basically says that it will take the development of better A.I. to be able to reproduce the digital quality of Avatar's cutting-edge CGI effects, on a TV show budget. In Cameron's estimation of things, that'll be about a ten-year wait. 

When Will An Avatar TV Series Be Released? 

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(Photo: 20th Century Studios)

"The problem with these CG characters is that they're so cost- and labor-intensive that it really doesn't work for TV," Cameron told THR. "Now, come back in 10 years, with a lot of machine deep learning. Insert it into our pipeline, which we hope to do, over time. We might be able to get to a TV schedule, but it doesn't interest me right now."

James Cameron will certainly be busy in the Avatar Universe for the next few years. As of writing this, Cameron is about to debut the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water in theaters, 13 years after the first film. Getting the franchise rekindled all over the world will be a major mission; as soon as it's done, Cameron will be right back at work, finishing Avatar 3, Avatar 4, and Avatar 5, for release in 2024, 2026, and 2028 (respectively).

So, when James Cameron says that the technology to create an Avatar TV series is still a decade out, that timetable could be in perfect step with finishing the franchise's movie saga, and giving it just enough cool time to develop the TV spinoff. 

What Is Machine Deep Learning? 

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(Photo: Jeff Spicer/WireImage/Getty Images)

Simply put, Machine Learning is a segment of study in Artificial Intelligence, which uses algorithmic processes to help machines programmed for certain functions "learn" from feedback data and perform said tasks better and better over time. Deep structured learning uses artificial neural networks (computing systems structured to function like animal brains) to "learn" even faster, either through human-guided means or on their own. Without leaning into all the technical finery, self-regulating deep learning machines are typically the type of A.I. forms that sci-fi loves to imagine leading to dystopian nightmares. 

In the case of Avatar: Cameron is (again, we're not experts) talking about programs that could analyze the visual effects of Avatar and be able to reproduce them with (relatively inexpensive) efficiency and ease. That would allow the Avatar TV series to keep the signature visual standard of the franchise, on a TV budget. As for where James Cameron will be with his own film technology by then? Who can know... 

Avatar: The Way of Water will be in theaters on December 16th. 

Source: THR

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