US Edition Director James Cameron has insisted that remaking Titanic as a 3D film is entirely "valid".
Cameron's 1997 film, which won 11 Oscars and starred Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet, is being recreated in 3D at the cost of £12million. The new version will be in cinemas on April 6 2012, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic setting sail on April 10 1912.
Cameron said that DiCaprio and Winslet have yet to see the 3D footage of Titanic but said he has spoken with Winslet about the project and she is "on board".
More than 300 production artists have worked for more than 60 weeks to alter the film to 3D but Cameron denied that it was just an attempt to "cash in". He said: "I think it's perfectly valid . . . It just felt right in the centenary of the sinking of Titanic to bring this back out for fans who either are fans of the movie but have never had the widescreen experience or are fans of the movie who remember it from back then and want to re-experience that."
Cameron is also planning a possible extended cut re-release of Avatar - the film which smashed all major box office records by taking in $2.7 billion worldwide - in what has been described as a new "suped-up" version. Avatar parts two and three will be shot back to back and released in December 2014 and 2015 respectively,
The imminent release of two new 3D blockbusters comes as the worth of the medium is being debated. Brad Bird, director of the new Mission: Impossible movie, Ghost Protocol, says he's "not convinced" that 3D is the future of cinema. "I think that any time you have a new toy, people feel excited about it and then they overuse it," he said. "I remain interested in 3D but I'm not exactly convinced yet. What I'm more interested in is really high resolution, and really big screens."
Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at industry data provider Exhibitor Relations, said: "While there were nearly 40 (3D) films released this year, studios have been scaling back in terms of the type of films released in this new format. The reason? Audiences won't pay for a 3D engagement that isn't a premium picture."
One of the big drawbacks is having to wear 3D glasses but Cameron insists technology is developing so quickly that they soon won't be needed. He said: "We all want to get rid of the glasses. You know how you feel when it is about to rain. I have that feeling that it's just around the corner, the end of glasses."