James Cameron’s ‘The Abyss’ Returns to Theaters on Dec. 6 (Video)

Drew Taylor
·2 min read
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Ready to go back under the water?

James Cameron’s Oscar-winning underwater adventure “The Abyss,” which was originally released back in the summer of 1989, will return to theaters on Dec. 6 for a one-night-only event. It will be the “special edition” of the movie, newly remastered in 4K.

“The Abyss” stars Ed Harris as a deep sea oil worker whose ex-wife and the oil platformer’s designer (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) returns with a SWAT team (led by Michael Biehn) after a nuclear submarine goes missing. Soon, they uncover a deeper mystery involving a potential extraterrestrial intelligence.

“If you haven’t seen the film before, this is the way to experience it, and if you have, it will be like the first time all over again. So, get out to the theaters and enjoy,” Cameron said in an official statement.

A notoriously difficult production, “The Abyss” garnered warm reviews and made more than $90 million. It went on to receive four Academy Award nominations and won the Academy Award for best visual effects. But Cameron longed to complete the original, unfinished version of the movie, which was truncated due to the unwieldy length of the film and limitations with visual effects at the time.

When Cameron signed a multipicture deal with 20th Century Fox following the success of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” they allocated a half-a-million dollars for Cameron to finish his preferred cut of “The Abyss” with updated effects courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic. This was the birth of the “special edition” of the film, which would be released on home video, at the time on VHS and Laserdisc. (Incredibly, the last time it was released was on DVD.) Earlier this year the 4K remaster was screened as part of Beyond Fest, a genre film festival in Los Angeles, accompanied by a Q&A with Cameron.

Rumors have circulated that, with Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets, several Cameron films that have yet to receive deluxe, remastered home video editions will finally see the light of day – including “True Lies” and “Aliens.” “Titanic,” a co-production of 20th Century and Paramount, is coming out on 4K disc next month.

Tickets for “The Abyss” event go on sale Nov. 20. Watch a trailer for the 4K release at the top of this post.

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