You might not know the name "Sam Worthington" now, but given that you can already preorder a collectible figurine of him here, you might want to learn it. Worthington is a 32-year-old Aussie actor and star of James Cameron's Avatar, the long-awaited (14 years!) alien thriller from the Titanic and Terminator director. Avatar doesn't hit theaters until mid-December, but Cameron screened 25 minutes of the 3-D movie last night at Comic-Con, to an audience beside itself in raptures. Part of their glee? The performance of Worthington in the role of Jake Sully, a paraplegic soldier who beds aliens, tames pterodactyls, and is generally badass in every frame of the blockbuster.
But will audiences flock to see a newcomer? Cameron cast Worthington after watching him say "Uh-uh" on an audition tape, before the release of his first major film (Terminator Salvation). But even though the director predicted that Worthington would "blow Christian Bale off the screen" in McG's Terminator, the movie tanked.
To see for yourself how Worthington fares, you'll have to wait until Aug. 21—Cameron-mandated "Avatar Day," on which 15 minutes of the film will be screened for fans. For a scene-by-scene breakdown of what was shown at Comic-Con—duh, there are spoilers—check out i09's synopsis here.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
