Aspiring sci-fi screenwriter Bryant Moore has filed a lawsuit against James Cameron for stealing his idea for the hit 2009 film ‘Avatar,’ TMZ is reporting. Moore’s lawsuit is the second in as many weeks, claiming the famed director didn’t come up with the idea for the Academy Award-winning movie. He is also suing 20th Century Fox, which distributed ‘Avatar,’ for more than $1.5 billion in actual damages and more than $1 in punitive damages. Moore, who has written the screenplays for ‘Aquatica’ and ‘Descendants: The Pollination,’ is looking for more than $2 billion. He’s claiming Cameron used the two scripts as the inspiration for ‘Avatar,’ and points out numerous similarities…

James Cameron is being sued by former employee Eric Ryder in his production company for stealing his idea for ‘Avatar,’ TMZ is reporting. Ryder has filed a lawsuit for an unspecified amount, saying that in 1997, he came up with an idea for a movie titled ‘KRZ 2068.’ He described his film as “an environmentally themed 3D epic about a corporation’s colonization and plundering of a distant moon’s lush and wondrous natural setting.” Ryder’s lawsuit, which was filed in L.A. County Superior Court, states that his reps pitched the idea for the film to Cameron’s production company in 1999. The idea was so well-received that they set up multiple meetings…

Read our exclusive interview with producer Alex Stapleton, who’s making her feature film writing and directorial debut with the new documentary ‘Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel.’ The movie, which is set to hit select theaters on December 16, 2011, showcases the career of acclaimed B-exploitative sci-fi screenwriter, director and producer, Roger Corman. The movie not only details the working process of the fan favorite filmmaker, but also features interviews with some of Corman’s frequent collaborators, including Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Ron Howard, William Shatner and Jack Nicholson. Stapleton discusses with us, among other things, how she became interested in chronicling Corman’s life, and how she secured the…

When “Titanic” was first released in the 1990s, it was a huge success– “Twilight” and “Harry Potter” levels of success. Most women were in love with Leonardo DiCaprio after this film and went to see the film three or even twelve times. And, similar to today, James Cameron was the veritable “king of the world.” Now, it would seem that Paramount is trying to bring that level of frenzied adoration back with the theatrical re-release of “Titanic” in 3D. Paramount has released the poster and new trailer for the re-release, both of which can be seen below the post. If you loved “Titanic” back in the day, I’m sure the…

How about a hefty dose of casting news to prep for the work/school week? This week’s Cheat Sheet is absolutely packed to the brim with casting updates and every single one of them is rather exciting! Even if you’re a hardcore Saw fan, there’s still a good chance you’ve got no clue who Darren Lynn Bousman is. Well, he was the man behind the lens of the series’ second, third and fourth installments and now he’s working on another horror film that not only boasts an interesting premise, but now a stellar cast, too. Alex Proyas, on the other hand, has been in the spotlight time and time again, which…

When “Avatar” first premiered, many people became distraught when they remembered that Pandora wasn’t real. Well, for some, their distraught feelings can be alleviated due to Disney World. According to Entertainment Weekly, a joint press release from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Fox Filmed Entertainment has announced plans to create and open a “land” based on “Avatar.” “With two new ‘Avatar’ films currently in development, we’ll have even more locations, characters and stories to explore,” said James Cameron, the director of “Avatar.” He also said that the park could have some settings from the upcoming sequels. If I’m speaking honestly, I never was a real fan of “Avatar”–I’m one…

Its sequel, also from director James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, was a worldwide smash that stood at the forefront of a special effects revolution, but a lot of folks forget the brutal, streamlined efficiency of 1984′s The “Terminator”, which laid all the groundwork for the labyrinthine Skynet conspiracies of a trio of other futuristic-killing-machine flicks as well as assorted media tie-ins and even, eventually, screaming Christian Bale soundboards. The film was part of distributor Sony’s first wave of Blu-ray titles five years ago (and arguably the most preferable, given company like “50 First Dates”, “Hitch” and “xXx”), but gets another pass with this special, limited edition Blu-ray release, in…

When not crafting Hollywood studio blockbusters (and sometimes even when doing so, as with ‘The Abyss’ and of course ‘Titanic’), James Cameron has translated a lifelong passion for underwater exploration into any number of special documentaries and side projects, and ‘Sanctum’ — executive-produced by the Oscar-winning filmmaker, and deploying some of the same 3-D technology used in ‘Avatar’ — is his latest filmmaking assist to the nature-discovery, though this time it’s the sub-specialty upon which he throws a spotlight. Shot on location off the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, and based on true events, the film follows a team of underwater cave divers during a treacherous expedition deep inside the…

While the Movie News Cheat Sheet is generally geared towards brightening up your work or school week with the best in movie news, this time around, utilizing the info will be that much more fun as you’ve still got a whole day left of the weekend. When your mouth isn’t full with Memorial Day BBQ fare, you’ll have all the latest in film news to keep the conversation flowing. Of course everyone will be talking about the hottest thing in theaters this weekend, The Hangover Part II, but you can take it one step further by learning the stats in the Box Office section of the piece. And how about…

The Hollywood Reporter has recently published an interview with blockbuster directors Michael Bay and James Cameron on how to build a better blockbuster. According to the article, Bay decided to make the third “Transformers” film, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, a 3D film because of Cameron’s success with “Avatar”. According to Bay, who was initially on the fence about making the film 3D, Cameron convinced him by saying, “You gotta look at it as a toy. It’s another fine tool to help get emotion and character and create an experience.” Here’s more information on the article: Bay found his first shoot, a scene on the moon, using Cameron’s 3D technology…