3D version of James Cameron's 'Titanic' gets official release date

'Titanic'

Credit: Paramount Pictures

Remember "Titanic" mania? When your 12-year-old sister saw the film in the theater over and over and over again? When people couldn't stop yelling "I'm king of the world!" every thirty seconds? Now we can do it all again -- in 3D!

James Cameron's epic Oscar-winner "Titanic" (it picked up something like 812 Academy Awards) will be re-released in a brand new 3D version worldwide on April 6, 2012 by Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment.

The date coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic setting sail from England (April 10, 1912). Kinda morbid.

This is just two months after the George Lucas-supervised 3D-converted re-release of the first of six "Star Wars" films. "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace" hits theaters February 10, 2012.

"Titanic's" 3D conversion is currently being overseen by Cameron and his Lightstorm producing partner Jon Landau.

With "Titanic" sailing along as the second highest grossing movie of all time (No. 1 would be Cameron's 3D groundbreaker "Avatar"), the re-release (with higher ticker prices, natch) will ensure that Cameron continues to dominate worldwide box office records for some time.

"Titanic," of course, is about an inter-class love affair between Leonardo  DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, set against the back drop if the infamous maritime disaster in which 1,517 people died.     

"There's a whole generation that's never seen 'Titanic' as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen," said Cameron in a press release. "And this will be 'Titanic' as you've never seen it before, digitally re‐mastered at 4K and painstakingly converted to  3D. With the emotional power intact and the images more powerful than  ever, this will be an epic experience for fans and newcomers alike."     

Read more on James Cameron's love of 3D here.

"This new presentation of Paramount’s top-grossing film is particularly  special because 2012 is the 100th anniversary of our studio," said Paramount CEO Brad Grey. "Paramount has  had the pleasure of introducing audiences to some of the all-time classics  of cinema during that century of moviemaking and we cannot think of a better way to mark the occasion than with this re-release of 'Titanic.'"       

"Our 30‐plus year relationship with Jim Cameron and Lightstorm has been enormously rewarding, from 'Aliens' to 'Avatar,' and the global phenomenon of 'Titanic' remains one  of the greatest sources of pride in our history," added Fox execs Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman. "We are pleased to allow a  new generation of audiences to experience the film in its brilliant digital restoration in 3D.”   

Di Caprio will also be seen in 3D in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming "Great Gatsby" adaptation, co-starring Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher and Joel Edgerton.

As for Cameron, he's slowly ramping up a sequel to "Avatar."

Are you excited for the 3D version of "Titanic"? Or will you stick with your 2D DVD copy? And which other classic films, if any, do you want to be seen in 3D?

Dave Lewis
Producer

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Dave Lewis has been a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor for nearly ten years. Originally hailing from Minneapolis, he moved to L.A. in 1996 to attend USC, before working for various periodicals and web sites including a lengthy stint at Variety.com. He joined the HitFix staff in 2011.