Latest news with #FirstLaw
Metro
3 days ago
- Business
- Metro
James Cameron taking a break from Avatar as he tackles 'new challenge'
Director James Cameron is putting the behemoth that is the Avatar franchise to one side as he takes on a new job. Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third instalment, is 'winding down' production with a trailer expected soon as the film is due out later this year. Instead of starting on the fourth film – due out in 2029 – Cameron has revealed he's going to be adapting a new novel called The Devils. In a statement on social media, the 70-year-old filmmaker has confirmed his production company Lightstorm Entertainment acquired the rights to author Joe Abercrombie's book. Cameron and Abercrombie will be co-writing the script together for the fantasy story which was released just last month and became an instant bestseller. 'I've loved Joe's writing for years, cherishing each new read, throughout the epic cycle of the First Law books, especially Best Served Cold (LOVE IT!), and the 'Age of Madness' trilogy,' the Titanic legend said. He continued: 'But the freshness of the world and the characters in 'The Devils' finally got me off my butt to buy one of his books and partner with him to bring it to the screen. 'I can't wait to dig into this as I wind down on Avatar: Fire and Ash. It will be a joyful new challenge for me to bring these indelible characters to life.' The Devils focuses on a special force of monsters tasked to save Europe from flesh-eating elves – with a plot like that, we're not surprised the esteemed director rushed to get involved. Praising the filmmaker, Abercrombie said: 'I can't think of anyone better to bring this weird and wonderful monster of a book to the screen.' With only four years to go before the as-yet-untitled Avatar 4, it's unclear if Cameron is planning to be hands-on for The Devils' entire production. If he wasn't busy enough, he's also directing another novel adaptation; The Last Train From Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino. There's also the illusive adaptation of Taylor Stevens' novel The Informationist that Lightstorm Entertainment purchased the rights to in 2012. Dedicated film fans will remember that at the time Cameron said he'd direct it once Avatar was completed – we won't hold our breath on that one. Avatar: Fire and Ash is slated for a December 2025 release with the sequels following in 2029 and 2031 respectively. The previous instalment, Way of the Water, clocked in at three hours and 12 minutes but Cameron is promising that the follow-up will be even longer. He told Empire magazine: 'In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2. The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren't drilling down enough on character. 'So I said, 'Guys, we've got to split it.' Movie 3 will actually be a little bit longer than movie 2.' Script co-writer Amanda Silver seconded this feeling saying 'the characters needed to breathe.' More Trending She said: 'These movies are a lot more than just propulsive plot and gorgeous spectacle. I mean, these are real characters.' Cameron is feeling 'pretty good' about this next Avatar, having allowed a handful of people to screen the film already. He previously told Stuff: 'I've shown it to a few selected people and the feedback has been … it's definitely the most emotional and maybe the best of the three so far. 'We'll find out, you know, but I feel pretty good about it.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Unmatched' 80s action movie with 100% rating now available on streaming
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
James Cameron will take Avatar break to work on The Devils adaptation
James Cameron will take a break from 'Avatar' to work on an adaptation of 'The Devils'. The 70-year-old filmmaker has confirmed his own production company Lightstorm Entertainment has acquired the rights to author Joe Abercrombie's new novel, and they'll be writing the script together. He said in a statement on Facebook: "I've loved Joe's writing for years, cherishing each new read, throughout the epic cycle of the 'First Law' books, especially 'Best Served Cold' (LOVE IT!), and the 'Age of Madness' trilogy. 'But the freshness of the world and the characters in 'The Devils' finally got me off my butt to buy one of his books and partner with him to bring it to the screen. "I can't wait to dig into this as I wind down on 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'. It will be a joyful new challenge for me to bring these indelible characters to life.' The third 'Avatar' film is set to be released in December this year, with a fourth and fifth instalment planned for 2029 and 2031 respectively. Cameron's next project will be 'The Devils', putting his stamp on the dark fantasy epic which focuses on a special force of monsters tasked to save Europe from flesh-eating elves. Author Abercrombie said: "I can't think of anyone better to bring this weird and wonderful monster of a book to the screen.' Cameron recently admitted he had too many "great ideas" packed into 2022's 'Avatar: The Way of Water' - which clocked in at three hours and 12 minutes - but he's gone even bigger with the upcoming 'Avatar: Fire and Ash'. He told Empire magazine: 'In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2. The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren't drilling down enough on character. So I said, 'Guys, we've got to split it.' 'Movie 3 will actually be a little bit longer than movie 2.' His co-writer Amanda Silver, who wrote the script with Cameron and Rick Jaffa, stressed the second and third movies are separate films because "the characters needed to breathe". She said: 'These movies are a lot more than just propulsive plot and gorgeous spectacle. I mean, these are real characters.' The director previously declared he feels "pretty good" about the third movie after giving "selected people" an advance screening. He told Stuff: "I've shown it to a few selected people and the feedback has been ... it's definitely the most emotional and maybe the best of the three so far. "We'll find out, you know, but I feel pretty good about it."
Geek Tyrant
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
James Cameron Confirms His Next Movie Will Be a Fantasy Epic THE DEVILS — GeekTyrant
James Cameron has been burined deep in the world of Pandora for years, but he's announced what his next film project will be. The filmmaker behind Aliens , Titanic , and Avatar announced on Facebook that his next movie after Avatar: Fire and Ash will be an adaptation of The Devils . The Devil's is a brand-new fantasy novel by British author Joe Abercrombie, and Cameron is producing and co-writing the script with Abercrombie himself. The director said: 'I've loved Joe's writing for years, cherishing each new read, throughout the epic cycle of the First Law books, especially Best Served Cold (LOVE IT!), and the Age of Madness trilogy. 'But the freshness of the world and the characters in The Devils finally got me off my butt to buy one of his books and partner with him to bring it to the screen. 'I can't wait to dig into this as I wind down on Avatar: Fire and Ash. It will be a joyful new challenge for me to bring these indelible characters to life.' Abercrombie has built a loyal following in the grimdark fantasy space. His First Law series redefined the genre with its morally compromised antiheroes and sharp, self-aware writing. But, The Devils , which just hit shelves last month via Tor, kicks off a new trilogy, one with a very different premise. Set in a warped version of our own world, The Devils imagines a Europe crawling with unspeakable monsters and under siege by flesh-eating elves. The story centers on Brother Diaz, a weary soldier-priest tasked with assembling a team of both men and monsters to fight back the rising tide of horror. Abercrombie seems just as excited about the team-up, saying: 'I can't think of anyone better to bring this weird and wonderful monster of a book to the screen,' he said in a statement. This isn't the only Abercrombie film adaptation in the works. Best Served Cold , one of his most beloved standalone novels, is currently being developed as a feature film with Rebecca Ferguson set to play the deadly Monza Murcatto. That project is being directed by Deadpool's Tim Miller and is currently in pre-production. Cameron, meanwhile, still has a few stops left on the Avatar train. Fire and Ash , the third installment in his sprawling sci-fi epic, is scheduled to open on December 19th. Two more sequels are planned after that, with tentative release dates in 2029 and 2031. But clearly, the filmmaker is already mapping out his next creative obsession. If The Devils lands with the scope and visual intensity we associate with Cameron, and given the source material, this could be a great new chapter for both the director and modern fantasy cinema. The Devils is available now in print, ebook, and audiobook formats.
Memri
31-01-2025
- Business
- Memri
Can Trump Reverse The Irreversible?
Fear and loathing stalks the halls of power in Washington, D.C. The fate of the giant "Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone" (SLICC) hangs in the balance. That term, for those who are unfamiliar with it, dates at least from the 1990s and referred initially to the U.S. Defense Department and NASA. [1] It was a type of military short-hand to describe how programs and processes develop a life of their own where a system exists for no other reason than to perpetuate itself. In such a scenario, measures of success are created to accomplish the most important goals – not necessarily to achieve a real outcome – but to keep the entity funded and growing. The bureaucracy and its processes exist to keep doing what they have always done, and this inertia is powerful. Large bureaucracies are resistant to change. [2] While much has been written about Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), what the Trump Administration seems to be trying to do is far broader and more ambitious, an attempt at reversing an irreversible trajectory, radical reform in the way the U.S. government functions both domestically and globally. The odds are daunting, for it turns out that there is not just one SLICC out there, but many. Although they may overlap to some extent, five big SLICCs can be seen at work today: The Budget SLICC The Personnel SLICC The Implementing Partner SLICC The Globalism SLICC The Regional SLICC The Budget SLICC is, obviously the budgeting and spending process (so this is the original one, as the term was first used to refer to DOD and NASA appropriations and spending in 1991-1992). While Congress appropriates the money, there is a lot of discretion within the executive branch over the budgeting and spending process, a lot of wiggle room. In the summer of 2024, we saw the Biden Administration spend at least $230 million for a Gaza pier to nowhere. [3] Good government advocates often cite egregious examples of waste, fraud and abuse but, of course, there is plenty of spending which is not very smart or helpful that manages to avoid the legal definitions of waste and fraud. Anyone who sat through DOD PowerPoint presentations – as I did back in the day – on Afghanistan knew that spending was occurring that was perfectly legal but which was deceptively being presented as a success. A trillion dollars later, you had the fall of Kabul. [4] But if you are the one who writes the measures of success, almost everything you are measuring – your metrics – will look successful. [5] The Trump people trying to get their hands on ongoing, often opaque, spending in areas such as foreign assistance, is a logical step. The Personnel SLICC is, of course, the people who staff the bureaucracy. Here one recalls Robert Conquest's Second Law of Politics (or John O'Sullivan's First Law, which is identical): "Any organization not explicitly right-wing sooner or later becomes left-wing." Based on my experience in government, there is little doubt that many American civil servants lean left or liberal. It depends on the organization, of course, but the bias is there (less "liberal" institutions like DOD have their own biases). [6] Some might say that personal political views do not matter as long as the work is done. And yet, during the first Trump Administration, USAID officials attempted to block Trump Administration policy on Iraq to the extent that it became – with liberal spin, of course – a matter of public record. [7] There were many other examples which got less attention. A Trump review of both spending and personnel is also not just about what is being spent and who is overseeing it but also examining if there are cost savings to be made in what seems to be to many Americans a bloated, unresponsive and arrogant bureaucracy at a time of runaway budget deficits. The Implementing Partner SLICC is a whole ecosystem of NGOs, groups, and organizations relying on government funding to implement certain programs and policies. Often there is a revolving door between government employees (who overwhelmingly share similar worldviews) and the implementing organization. Over time a symbiotic relationship develops involving both personnel and money. The result is liberal government funds liberal private entities for liberal causes. If there is any accountability, it comes from the liberal bureaucracy. The result is, to use the quaint British term, the creation of "Quangos," or Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organizations, funded by taxpayers but part of an internal, semi-permanent network of political cronies advancing inexorably certain favored causes. Here also you have private entities also carrying out policies that would invite greater scrutiny if done by government. The growth in recent years of the so-called "Disinformation Industrial Complex" in both the US and UK is a perfect example, with ostensibly private organizations – but government funded or influenced – curbing speech or enforcing speech codes in ways that government might not be able to get away with otherwise. [8] The Globalism SLICC is merely the international dimension of the three previous emanations, the network of international or multinational entities, such as the United Nations Organization or International Criminal Court that have grown up over time and metastasized into a constellation of new anti-American stars. If the international system or the so-called liberal international order was an invention of the United States, or often at the service of the United States, in the post-war period since 1945, it has now often been turned against American interests, with adversaries or obstacles to US policy often funded, at least in part, with American money. Redefining and reorienting America's position toward this system, establishing new benchmarks and redlines, seems like a logical step for an America First nationalist policy agenda. The Regional SLICC is a straitjacket of our own creation that oriented U.S. policy, resources, and attention towards certain regions – one thinks of Europe and the Middle East – trapping us in a tired scenario of diminishing political returns while marginalizing other areas. The Middle East is important, it is also the world's most dysfunctional region. Europe is important but is both wealthy (at least for now) and imploding. That the U.S. under Trump may finally and truly pivot not just towards Asia, but to Latin America, and even Africa is a realization that things must change and that we cannot do everything (and that our allies can do much more). [9] "He who attempts to defend everything, defends nothing," as Frederick the Great once said. Two-thirds of Americans believe that government "corruption, inefficiency and red tape" are major problems and want change although they do not fully trust those who want to bring it about. [10] The overwhelming majority of the American people are also unhappy with the status quo, according to Gallup, and have been so for quite a while. [11] The Trump Administration's attempt to address these five areas, to radically reform government operations, including personnel, to cut off the Quango gravy train, to reorient itself – our foreign, economic, and security policy – more realistically, both internationally and regionally, is extremely ambitious. It will not be easy to accomplish and certainly, in its scope, dwarfs anything attempted by an administration in terms of drastic reform for many decades. For many that prospect will be either exhilarating or terrifying. *Alberto M. Fernandez is Vice President of MEMRI. [1] Worden, S. Pete (1992). "On Self-Licking Ice Cream Cones." Proceedings of the seventh Cambridge workshop on cool stars, stellar systems, and the sun. ASP Conference Series. Vol. 26. Astronomical Society of the Pacific. pp. 599- 603. [2] May 23, 2022. [3] July 16, 2024. [4] October 4, 2021. [5] January 4, 2024. [6] January 8, 2019. [7] November 6, 2019. [8] March 20, 2024. [9] August 19, 2024. [10] January 24, 2025. [11] accessed January 31, 2025.
