Avatar: Last year’s biggest film is back – but this time it’s a video game

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2 years ago

December 10, 2023

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Willy Wonka will get lots of bums on seats at the cinema this month, but it is hard to envisage him getting close to the box office takings amassed by last year’s Christmas number one.

Avatar: The Way Of Water grossed a whopping $2.3bn (£1.8bn) following its long-awaited release 12 months ago, only topped on the all-time list by its own predecessor and the latest Avengers.

Glory in the visual effects category at the Oscars came as no surprise given the fantasy setting of Pandora and cast of big blue Na’vi characters heavily owe their existence to computers.

Parts of the production were even handled by new techniques usually associated with video games, with director James Cameron long known for embracing technology to push storytelling forward.

The film’s success puts a certain amount of pressure on the shoulders of the team pushing the Avatar story forward again this year – but perhaps fittingly, this time it really is in video game form.

From the big screen to your games machine

Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora is the final blockbuster of what has been another big year for the industry. It came to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC this week via French publisher Ubisoft, best known for the Assassin’s Creed games.

Creative director Magnus Jensen, of the company’s Swedish studio Massive Entertainment, is well aware of the expectations that come with delivering a new entry in the Avatar series.

“It needs to have a completely new story, new environments, new creatures,” he says.

“And be a fantastic, rich spectacle – a real rollercoaster ride.”

Frontiers Of Pandora is an open world game, allowing players to create their own Na’vi and explore the vast titular planet at their own leisure. Drawing on the lush and colourful environments from both films, the game lets them roam the plains on foot and soar above them on the backs of winged creatures.

Played primarily from a Call Of Duty-style, first-person perspective, players may also need to hunt said creatures to survive and take the fight to the RDA – the same villainous corporation from the films, kitted out with rather big guns and even bigger mechanical suits.

Jensen says his team worked with Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment throughout the game’s long development, which began way back in 2017.

Just as my nan will often mistake a game of FIFA (excuse me, EA Sports FC) for a real football match when she’s round for Christmas, Jensen will hope Frontiers Of Pandora is similarly effective at convincing people they’re really taking part in one of the films.

The developers dare not stray too far from the Avatar “style guide”, he says. Fans looking for their Pandora fix while waiting for the next film, which isn’t due until 2025, demand an authentic experience.

“We are very mindful of how our game takes place in the Avatar timeline – we are right there at the events of the new and upcoming movies,” he says. “We heavily shared the art direction of the films, and it all needs to fit together in the same lore and timeline.”

The great convergence

It’s a challenge increasingly faced by developers and Hollywood crews alike, as the film and game worlds converge.

Three of 2023’s biggest games are Hogwarts Legacy, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, all needing to satisfy the notoriously demanding fans of those books, comics, and films.

Meanwhile, only Barbie has stopped Nintendo’s Super Mario from being the year’s highest grossing film, and HBO’s adaptation of the PlayStation game The Last Of Us is tipped to win plenty of awards.

As successful as these adaptations have been, it’s led to accusations of a dirge of creativity and original ideas.

But Jansen believes it’s testament to his industry, how games have “gone from being fun things for kids to something for everyone”.

“It has become any other piece of entertainment, so it’s natural that films take inspiration from us in the same way as books and plays prior to that, and we take inspiration from them,” he says.

But unlike a film, which offers the same experience to every viewer, an open world game like this one has more narrative wriggle room.

The writing team – which includes Chella Ramanan, who has simultaneously been working on a game about Britain’s Windrush migration scandal – have to pen a story that doesn’t just account for players going from A to B, with side stories and characters they may never meet unless they explore.

As true to the films as he wants Frontiers Of Pandora to be, Jensen says it’s critical to “let a game be a game”.

“The player is an actor – and interactivity is what makes a game more than anything else.”

Entertainment

Jimmy Kimmel’s show back on Sinclair and Nexstar thanks to viewer feedback

Published

14 hours ago

September 27, 2025

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Jimmy Kimmel's show back on Sinclair and Nexstar thanks to viewer feedback

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show will return to ABC affiliates belonging to Sinclair and Nexstar after the two major network operators took his programme off-air over his comments in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Kimmel was accused of being “offensive and insensitive” after using his programme, Jimmy Kimmel Live, to accuse Donald Trump and his allies of capitalising on the killing.

Disney-owned ABC suspended the show last week following threats of potential repercussions from the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission.

Sinclair, which controls 38 ABC affiliates from Seattle to Washington DC, called on Kimmel to apologise to Mr Kirk’s family over the comments and asked him to “make a meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA, the nonprofit that the conservative activist founded.

On Tuesday, Disney announced the return of the programme after backlash to its suspension, but both Sinclair and Nexstar, which own more than 20% of ABC affiliates, initially said they would not resume airing the show.

Kimmel criticised the ABC affiliates who preempted his show during his TV return, saying: “That’s not legal. That’s not American. It’s un-American.”

Three days later, the two major network operators announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live would return to their TV stations after the week-long boycott.

The move came after Sinclair received “thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers and community leaders”.

In its statement, the company pointed to its “responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honouring our obligations to air national network programming.”

Nexstar, which controls 28 ABC affiliates from Kansas to New Orleans, said in a similar statement that it was airing content that is “in the best interest of the communities we serve”.

Both companies said their decisions were not affected by influence from the Trump administration or anyone else.

The president had criticised the programme’s return on Tuesday, writing on Truth Social that he “can’t believe” ABC gave Kimmel his show back and hinted at further action.

“Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE,” Mr Trump wrote.

“He is yet another arm of the DNC (Democratic National Committee) and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this.”

During Kimmel’s first show since being taken off-air, the presenter said it was “never my intention to make light of” Mr Kirk’s death.

“I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” he said as he choked up.

“Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make”.

Speaking on Tuesday night’s show, Kimmel said he understood why the remarks “felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both”.

New episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live air Monday to Thursday, and Friday night’s rerun will be of Tuesday’s show, meaning viewers of Sinclair stations will be able to watch Kimmel’s emotional return to the air.

Entertainment

Prince of Wales says 2024 was ‘hardest year’ of his life

Published

14 hours ago

September 27, 2025

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Prince of Wales says 2024 was 'hardest year' of his life

The Prince of Wales has told Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy that 2024 was the “hardest year” of his life.

The future king told the Hollywood star about last year, which saw his wife, the Princess of Wales, and his father, the King, both undergoing treatment for cancer.

The pair were catching up over a pint in a pub as part of Apple TV+ series The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy, which will air next month.

In the episode Living The Royal Life In The UK, William tells Levy: “I’d say 2024 was the hardest year I’ve ever had.

“Life is said to test us as well and being able to overcome that is what makes us who we are.”

The preview of the episode also saw Levy invited to “pop down” to Windsor Castle for a private tour by the prince.

Levy, 78, can be seen reading out an invitation saying: “I heard that your travels have brought you to the UK and I wondered if you might like to see Windsor Castle?

“If you’re free at 10 tomorrow, why don’t you pop down to the Castle for a private tour.

“Would be great to see you!”

After touring the castle, Levy asks William what he does when he is at home, and the prince laughs and replies: “Sleep. When you have three small children, sleep is an important part of my life.”

New episodes of The Reluctant Traveler With Eugene Levy will premiere weekly until the finale on 31 October 2025.

The special episode with William will air on 3 October.

Entertainment

Wallace and Gromit creator talks clay and creativity – as he returns home to reopen museum

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1 day ago

September 26, 2025

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Wallace and Gromit creator talks clay and creativity - as he returns home to reopen museum

It’s hard to believe it’s 35 years since a plasticine man in a sweater and slippers, along with his voiceless, but hugely expressive dog, burst on to our screens and won the hearts of millions with their mix of humour, charm and nostalgia.

Wallace and Gromit managed to be both familiar and fresh, and their modest creator Nick Park couldn’t have foreseen how their handmade adventures would change the world of animation and make Wensleydale cheese internationally famous.

But three decades on and Preston-born Park is beginning to realise that his flair for feel-good filmmaking has made him a very big deal.

Oscar wins and box office hits aside, his latest accolade, in the Lancashire city where he was born and bred, clearly means a lot.

A new Wallace and Gromit exhibition is being showcased at the Harris Museum, which Park visited frequently growing up.

The historic landmark looms large over the city centre and is filled with artefacts and treasures that inspired him as a boy.

He was drawn to the library and devoured books on his favourite subject, you guessed it, animation.

The museum has been closed for four years as part of a £19m revamp. And who better to re-open it this weekend than Park.

As we meet at the exhibition, he tells me he was a quiet child who loved drawing. Visits to the museum helped shape his creativity and storytelling.

He said: “I used to love spending a day around here looking at all the artefacts, the paintings. I used to come to the library here, there was no internet, and so I would look for books on animation.

“I would scour the library for anything I could get my hands on.”

We chat in a life-size replica of Wallace and Gromit’s living room. The wallpaper, standing lamp and armchair are so familiar.

Park says it’s like sitting in one of his own sets.

The living room was actually based on his grandma’s house, which he describes as a cosy 1960s home. And as he sits in the chair with his cup of tea, he jokes that he’s now turned into Wallace.

He said: “I feel like I’m made of clay, sitting on a replica set, it’s just incredible.”

But that’s the joy of his films – the personal touch. And whilst they’re unmistakably Northern, inspired by Park’s family and upbringing, they’re also universally relatable.

He said: “I used to draw from my own childhood a lot, and that’s what inspired me. Because it feels true to do that.

“So, I went to memories of my granny, the lamp stand that my granny had and other objects, toasters, clocks, you name it.”

Park is now arguably as famous as his much-loved characters. Something he seems to be finally getting used to.

He says he’s honoured and a little overwhelmed that his hometown holds him and his clay creations so close to his heart.

He said: “I was a shy teenager, and just talking about this hobby, I never imagined they would become household names.

“So, to have statues of my characters in the centre of town and now to be opening this newly refurbished exhibition and my own exhibition. To be here with my own characters, it’s just crazy.”

I ask what this stop motion supremo makes of the use of AI and technology in film.

He said: “We need to hang onto our values, there’s something about handmade quality that gives everything charm and appeal.

“It would probably be wrong to completely ignore that.”

The exhibition is immersive and emotive. Being up close and personal with the models, drawings, and characters evokes the same feelings as the films do. Warmth, humour and nostalgia.

A journey through the formative years of a young filmmaker and the birth of one of cinema’s unlikeliest heroes.

Park is now inspiring the next generation of storytellers and filmmakers at the museum, which played such an important part in his own success story.

Wallace and Gromit in A Case at the Museum Exhibition opens on Sunday and runs until January.