Avatar: Work the Plan

Avatar. A masterpiece of planning.

Initially slated for a 1999 release, Avatar went on indefinite hold. The challenge: available technology was insufficient. The film would be done right—or not at all.

Fortunately, technology caught up.

Blockbuster success yields sequels. With strong franchise potential, studios cash in quickly.

But not with Avatar. Why?

More important than technology: story. Four Avatar sequels are in production. Four scripts produced together, unified by a grand story arc only possible through master planning. Every plant. Every animal. Every syllable of the Na'vi thousand-plus word lexicon.

What should we expect from the sequels?

The history of cinema predicts success.

Let’s explore.

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Three blockbuster franchises:

1.       Jurassic Park

2.       Alien

3.       Pirates of the Caribbean

Each a smash success, promising great things to come.

Now, a sequel for each:

1.       Jurassic Park III

2.       Alien III

3.       Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

From amazing first films to total disasters. All three follow-ups the least of their counterparts; all three unforgivably bad.

How did this happen?

Jurassic Park III. Alien III. Dead man’s Chest.

In all three movies, filming began before scripts were complete.

Studios cashed in. Speed over quality. Dialogue and story arcs developed in real time. Poor planning yielding predictably poor results.

History’s verdict: have high expectations for Avatar’s sequels—with such meticulous planning they will be extraordinary.

The leadership lesson is this.

PLAN THE WORK.

All of it.

Then,

WORK THE PLAN.

Your brilliant concepts and sterling initiatives mean nothing without a defined beginning—and defined end.

Whatever time this process takes—take it.

There is no “winging it” for the true leader. There is only careful, cautious planning of every step of the journey.

The Na'vi’s lesson to us:

Before releasing the arrow,

Aim first.

Mark Joseph Huckabee