It really did not surprise us when it was revealed in the most recent Maritime Monday that James Cameron is planning a nearly 7 mile voyage to the Mariana Trench to film, in 3-D of course, scenes for the upcoming Avatar sequel . After all, we’ve seen his ambition with 3-D and underwater exploration before, both with the first Avatar and the lesser known Aliens of The Deep, and again with his plans to re-release Titanic in 3-D.
We’re also familiar with his expertise in deepwater diving. On June 1, Cameron met with EPA and other federal officials for a brainstorming session on ways to stop the Gulf oil leak, providing a proposal that included an offering for his team of scientists to dive the Deepwater Horizon wreckage as part of the investigation into the causes of the incident. While Cameron’s offer was later denied, we tended to agree that his ideas were well within his team’s ability and expertise.
Thrown into this mix is the incentive of a $10 million X-Prize that will go to the first privately funded sub to make two repeat manned descents to Challenger Deep, which at a 36000 feet is the the deepest surveyed point in the oceans.
Obviously, Cameron has a long history of successful projects but, in this case, we’re talking the longest 7 miles on earth. More men have walked on the moon than explored what Cameron plans on doing, however, if the task he’s set before him wasn’t in fact within the realm of possibility, we’re quite sure he would not set himself up for failure. The is no way to answer whether or not Cameron he will reach Challenger Deep until his mission is completed, but one thing is for certain – Avatar 2 is going to make Cameron boatloads of money!
What do you think? Will James Cameron be successful in reaching the Challenger Deep, shooting some 3D footage and taking home the $10 million prize to boot? Continue after the jump to take the survey and see a great infographic explaining a little about the proposed voyage.
[polldaddy poll=”3800435″]
Check out this cool infographic provided by DailyMail. Click image for a slightly larger version.
[Infographic provided by MailOnline]
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