James Cameron Sued By Sci-Fi Fan Who Claims He Had Original 'Avatar' Idea
James Cameron is facing legal action by an angry sci-fi fan who claims that he came up with the original concept for the smash-hit blockbuster 'Avatar'. Eric Ryder, who originally worked in the movie's production company is suing James Cameron by claiming that it was his idea to produce an "environmentally themed 3-D epic about a corporation's colonization and plundering of a distant moon's lush and wondrous natural setting" long before 'Avatar', according to TMZ.
In the lawsuit, Ryder suggests that he came up with a very similar idea for a movie, titled 'KRZ 2068' and had pitched it to Cameron in 1999 only to be rejected. Ryder even goes as far as to argue that he had come up with the concept of the "self-contained robotic exterior suits which house a single human operator" which villain Stephen Lang wears in 'Avatar'. James Cameron had always stated that he had come up with the idea for 'Avatar' in the early 1990s but had to wait all this time so that technology could catch up with his concepts. Talking in 2010, Cameron had stated: 'I certainly feel a personal sense of responsibility because I made a movie on these issues. Why? Because they were personally important to me.' Cameron's reps are yet to comment on the lawsuit.
James Cameron is currently working simultaneously on the second and third sequels in the 'Avatar' franchise, due for release in 2014 and 2015.
