Avatar: Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD will bring back original opening

Avatar returns to theaters today with an additional nine minutes of new footage inserted into the film. We also know that an even longer version of the film will be released onto Blu-ray/DVD this November, and will feature a total of sixteen minutes of new footage. One scene we won’t be seeing in theaters is the original opening for the film.

Cameron told Oregon Live that he will be re-inserting the original opening of the film for the special edition DVD and Blu-ray release. “Well, if you buy the box set in November, you can sit down, and in a continuous screening of the film, watch it with the Earth opening,” Cameron said. The scene Cameron calls “The Earth Opening” will be around 4 1/2 minutes.  There was a very brief scene in the original film where Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) speaks about Earth’s condition, but we’ll get to see it in November.

Cameron also mentions that he intended to keep “The Earth Opening” in the original film, but cut it due to time constraints. “And it was in for the longest time. It was very late in the day that we took it out,” he said. Cameron wanted to re-insert the original opening in the current re-release, but couldn’t because the visual effects weren’t complete. The release in November will also feature around 45 minutes of unfinished deleted scenes.