21 Jan 2010
7:04 am

by Jeffrey Thomas
6 Comments »

I’m so blue over AVATAR
My Thi Gonh of BLUE WAR and DEADSTOCK is blue-skinned, too, but doesn't have the tail AVATAR's Navi has. I'd still do her, though.

My Thi Gonh of BLUE WAR and DEADSTOCK is blue-skinned, too, but doesn't have the tail AVATAR's Navi has. I'd still do her, though.

A few weeks ago I received an interesting email from a guy named Dave Figueroa, who had just seen the movie AVATAR and thought it reminded him of a story he’d read a few years earlier – this being my short story IN HIS SIGHTS, in the anthology THE SOLARIS BOOK OF NEW SCIENCE FICTION #1. (See my post of 10/15 on the weird similarities between AVATAR and my novels BLUE WAR and DEADSTOCK, and the related short story IN HIS SIGHTS: http://punktalk.punktowner.com/?p=343) Subsequently, Mr. Figueroa has done two fascinating blog posts on the subject, in which he notes these similarities, too, and then discusses my own earlier blog post on the matter:

BLUE DEJA VU, from 1/3/10 http://daedahl.blogspot.com/2010/01/blue-deja-vu.html

And BLUE WORLDS REVISTED, from 1/9/10 http://daedahl.blogspot.com/2010/01/blue-worlds-revisited.html

I’m sure any movie, but particularly one so effects oriented, would have been in the works long before my stories came out — even if they did actually appear first — but it’s still pretty damn strange. I suppose I can’t expect James Cameron to come groveling for my forgiveness with a huge check in his hand, but maybe he’ll call me up one of these days and say, “We think alike, Jeff…I like you. How about you script my next movie — I’ll make you the next king of the world!”

6 COMMENTS
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6 Responses to “I’m so blue over AVATAR”
Chris
26 Jan 2010
12:36 am

Wait, do you mean you’d do Stake’s bonnie or Worthington’s? No reason I ask, but I’m a tall guy, and yet I’m pretty sure Cameron’s chick would crush me under her weight…
Be totally worth it, though.

Having read Deadstock and Blue War, and seen Avatar… I hope you’re not driving yourself crazy here. Honestly, I don’t think anyone would draw a line between the two if not for the race issue (blue is beautiful!).

Using aliens as allegories for primitive cultures that humans might imperialize… it’s a good idea, but not, in and of itself, that important. Deadstock saw the war mostly for its effect on Stake. Avatar used it to field its kick-ass effects. Never even thought of your books while I was watching it.

…Stake. Why don’t I have a cool name like that?

Cameron just doesn’t seem like the type who’d read your novels. Rest easy, man- looks like a plain old coincidence to me.

Cameron might have his x-hundred million dollars, but at least you’ve got something much more important. Which is, um… Earth Killer is hotter.

Chris
26 Jan 2010
11:05 pm

Don’t see it myself; the two stories are different in all the ways that are important (yours does the opposite of sucking). It’s an interesting idea, but not groundbreaking. I never would have noticed. The basic idea of imperialism on an alien world was, while important to Deadstock, not the whole thing. Just the surface, significant for how it affected Stake.

Stake… why don’t I have a cool name like that…

In Avatar, it was a platform for Cameron’s effects. Story was predictable.

Anyway, I hope you’re not driving yourself crazy over this. Cameron might have made hundreds of millions of dollars from this, but you have something much more important.

Which is… uh… I’ll think of it. You’re a better storyteller in my eyes, at least.

Jeffrey Thomas
30 Jan 2010
5:19 pm

Hi, Chris. I was talking about doing Navi, as I’ve already done Thi Gonh — she’s based on my wife Hong, and yeah, the Earth Killer IS hotter than that computer generated Navi. (I might still like a tail, though.) Thanks for the kind words about my writing…though I wouldn’t mind at least a lousy million dollars and Cameron can keep his hundreds of millions. Nah, not driving myself crazy here…I know he didn’t rip me off…but if calling attention to the weird similarities draws a little more attention to my books, well…heh.

Mary T. Duros
04 Feb 2010
2:45 am

Hey Jeff,
I must admit I just saw Avatar today. I didn’t want to like it but sat there mesmerized. And had tears in my eyes no less than 3 times during the movie. Having read and absolutely loved Blue War, I imagined that wonderful book and Jeremy Stake coming to life on the big screen. It would be a fantastic thing. And I hope that happens someday. Maybe there won’t be an Avatar sequel, but a movie about a sister world created by you… :) There were things in this movie that reminded me of your books. I would say it was a bit more than the Navi of Avatar. It was in the richness and construction of the world itself that made me think of your work.
Take care,
Mary.

Gellewig
04 Feb 2010
8:14 pm

Hi
Just had to say I was re-reading Deadstock and read what looked like a prasie of a movie I have recently heard about, checked it out and you are not listed as the writer. As is being said it must be a coincidence!

Jeffrey Thomas
05 Feb 2010
12:05 pm

Yeah, Gellewig, just a crazy coincidence, synchronicity, the collective unconscious, whatever you might want to call it. I’m not really bumming about it, just having some fun — so Mary, there was no need to go into AVATAR not wanting to like it, though I appreciate your loyalty! :-) I’m sure the film is great fun and I look forward to seeing it myself when I have a chance. Thanks as always for the kind words about my work! A film of it someday? Maybe not, but I’ve got stuff circulating in Hollywood, still, so we can continue to hope and dream!

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