The Avatar that could have been

CHUD have uncovered the original script for Project 880, which would ultimately become Avatar, written by James Cameron after he wrapped on Titanic. Ring the fascinating changes after the jump.

Even during watching Avatar, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that was being thrown at me every second. The world James Cameron created was so total, I instantly wanted to know more. Even a second viewing wasn't enough, and I'm not about to trawl through the Pandorapedia (yes, this is an actual thing) to find out more.

Thankfully, this awesome CHUD article dissects the original Avatar script that Cameron wrote after Titanic's success, and hints at a far grander story way beyond the world of Pandora we know.

I'll summarise a few of the major changes below, but I thoroughly recommend reading it in its entirety as, for Avatar fans especially, it makes for interesting reading. Be warned, there are a few spoilers ahead.

- In the Project 880 script, you see far more of Earth and why the invasion of Pandora is so important to humanity. Earth is completely industrialised and is suffering water shortages; the eco-system is shot to bits; America's overcrowded societies are beginning to crumble. Jake Sully's twin brother is killed in a train explosion; mass deaths are now quite common, according to Cameron's treatment.

- In Avatar, Pandora's flora and fauna only really come to the Na'vi's aid in the final battle. In Project 880, Pandora actively tries to expel the human invaders from the beginning. The script considers humanity a 'virus'. Hell's Gate is so called because the Pandoran creatures and plants are forever attacking the foreign human element. In the movie, that danger isn't really expressed intensely.

- Project 880 has buttloads of additional characters. Colonel Quaritch has a douchebag underling; Grace has a Na'vi love interest; the suits who hire Sully to replace his twin on Pandora come into their own; there's an ex-Avatar controller called Hegner who went crazy after his Avatar was eaten alive by a Slinth. That's also an actual thing. (Well, not really).

- Instead of proving his worth by taming a banshee, Sully truly becomes native when, in his Avatar, he leads a Na'vi raid on Hell's Gate. That's when he officially severs his links with the human race.

- The Avatar programme itself is put to far more interesting use. Instead of a 'hearts and minds' PR exercise to distract from the military involvement on Pandora, the Avatars are used to train the Na'vi to become an indigenous workforce for humanity. The cost of shipping humans to Pandora is extortionate; using Avatars to train and ultimately enslave the Na'vi is far more cost effective.

- Finally, the Project 880 script has it that no Unobtanium is found under Hometree, and that Quaritch's assault is purely for territory's sake. The planet's deposits of Unobtanium are found mostly in the floating mountains, which 'explains' how they float in the first place. The script also has reams of pseudo-science that goes some way to excusing several holes in logic.

To film all of Project 880 would have been nigh on impossible without either dividing it into a double-header/trilogy, or making it around 6 hours long. Frankly, I think Avatar is a pretty good comprimise, but that lust for more info on Pandora's universe means I can't help but wish a few of these elements made it in the final draft. Thoughts?