Mattel Signs Master License For James Cameron’s Avatar

Mattel has signed on as the master licensee for James Cameron’s upcoming sci-fi film Avatar. Not to be confused with the wildly popular Avatar: The Last Airbender, this is a sci-fi space film being shot for release in Digital 3D.

CENTURY CITY, Calif.—Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising has appointed Mattel the master toy licensee for James Cameron’s sci-fi film Avatar.

Mattel plans a line of action figures and vehicles scheduled to hit retail nationwide in October 2009, approximately two months in advance of the film’s release. Each action figure or vehicle will come with a 3-D web tag that consumers can “scan” using a webcam to unlock special content unique to the product.

“Mattel has a long history of teaming up with some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, and it continues with our partnership with Avatar,” said Tim Kilpin, Mattel’s general manager for Boys, Girls & Games. “Developing toys for a movie as anticipated and innovative as Avatar allows us to push the envelope with our own innovation and design to produce an exciting, engaging lineup of products.”

Avatar is the story of an ex-marine, Jake Sully, torn between duty and honor when he finds himself caught in a battle between the heavily armed forces of Earth’s most powerful star-faring consortium and an exotic, noble alien race whose world is threatened by human invaders.