For the first time since its original theatrical release back in 1989, James Cameron's sci-fi classic, The Abyss, is returning to the big screen for a one-night-only event next month.
20th Century Studios has announced that the elusive Special Edition of the claustrophobic adventure will screen in select theaters on Wednesday, December 6. Fans will be able to experience Cameron’s thrilling underwater sci-fi adventure for the first time in stunning, remastered 4K.
Tickets go on sale beginning November 20, and can be purchased at Fandango or wherever tickets are sold.
Cameron said in a statement: “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.”
Filmed in an abandoned nuclear power plant in Gaffney, S.C., the movie required its cast to undergo extensive training to allow them to perform their characters’ activities underwater. During a recent interview, Cameron explained that he had a team on hand to supervise the actors to ensure their safety, before happening to mention that he almost died during the production!
“We had the ‘angels,’ which were the safety divers that were right there, and each one was assigned to one or two of the actors and just kept them in sight the whole time. [But] they weren’t watching me.”
Cameron was already an experienced diver at this stage, but he was at the mercy of some faulty equipment.
“We were working 30 feet down. For me to be able to move the camera around on the bottom I wore heavy weights around my feet, no fins, a heavy weight belt around my waist. When the tank gets low, you get a warning that you’re about to run out of air,” he said. “Well, this thing had a piston servo regulator in it, so it was one breath… and then nothing."
Though its groundbreaking VFX were universally praised, The Abyss wasn't particularly well-received by critics at the time, but has since gained more appreciation.
Check out a new trailer and poster below.
In this underwater sci-fi adventure written and directed by James Cameron, a nuclear sub mysteriously sinks and a private oil rig crew, led by foreman Bud Brigman (Ed Harris), is recruited to join a team of Navy SEALs on a search and rescue effort. The group soon finds themselves on a spectacular life-and-death odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean's surface, where they find a mysterious force that could either change the world — or destroy it. “The Abyss” stars Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn.