Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising has selected Mattel to develop a toy line inspired James Cameron's AVATAR.
Tapped as master toy licensee for the epic sci-fi film property, Mattel will create a line of action figures and vehicles scheduled to hit retail nationwide in October 2009, months in advance of the film's release in December 2009.
Mattel's AVATAR toy line will feature heroes, creatures and vehicles straight from the blockbuster film. Each action figure or vehicle will come with a 3D web tag, bringing a new level of interactivity to Mattel's newest action play line. Utilizing a computer's webcam, consumers can "scan" the web tag, unlocking special content unique to the product, like bio information on action figures and creatures, virtually on a home computer.
More than 10 years in the making, AVATAR marks Cameron's return to feature directing since helming 1997's TITANIC, the highest-grossing film of all time and winner of 11 Oscars including Best Picture. AVATAR is an epic adventure film where ex-marine Jake Sully is torn between duty and honor when he finds himself caught in a battle between the heavily armed forces of Earth's most powerful star-faring consortium and an exotic, noble alien race whose entire world is threatened by the human invaders.
The AVATAR cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver. Academy Award-winning visual effects house, WETA Digital, renowned for its work in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and KING KONG, will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.
