It may not be Pandora, the lush moon of his blockbuster film Avatar, but according to James Cameron, the Brazilian rainforest is the next best thing. Speaking at a sustainability forum last week, the Canadian director said he wanted to bring the cast of the film's forthcoming sequels to south America to learn about "the natives and what real life in the jungle is like".
Cameron added: "Avatar is a film about the rainforest and its indigenous people. Before I start to shoot the two films I want to bring my actors here, so I can better tell this story."
The film-maker was in Manaus, Brazil for the second International Forum on Sustainability, which also played host to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Clinton. The ex-California governor and his former Terminator director introduced a number of debates on sustainability.
On Wednesday, Cameron reportedly took Schwarzenegger to the Xingu River, a region previously threatened by the planned construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric damn in nearby Brasilia. Cameron has spoken out in the past against the project, which is on hold after being blocked by a Brazilian judge last month on the grounds that it had failed to meet environmental requirements. "I introduced [Schwarzenegger] to some of the indigenous leaders whom I met last year," said the director.
On Thursday, Cameron met five members of the Amazonian Caiapo tribe, including chief Raoni, at a restaurant with a small group of journalists. Raoni had earlier baptised him with the name Krapremp-ti, meaning "man who is friend of the jungle". Cameron said: "If I had met the Caiapos before making Avatar, I would certainly have made a better film." He plans to shoot a 3D "experiential" documentary about the plight of the region's people and their battle against Belo Monte.
The film-maker revealed in January that Avatar parts two and three would be shot back to back and released in December 2014 and 2015. He said a certain amount of the profits from the series would go to environmental causes.