‘Life Of Pi’ Plans Special Trailers To Sell 3D Effects

Ang Lee’s adaptation of ‘Life of Pi’ was an intriguing prospect long before we knew the ‘Crouching Tiger’ director planned to shoot in 3D. Yann Martel’s ‘Pi’ is a best-selling novel set predominantly on a raft, and despite its visual limitations, figured to be an Oscar contender based on the weight of the material and Lee’s past successes.

But now Fox is ramping up its efforts to promote the film’s 3D (which we’re hearing is amazing) and unique trailers will begin hitting theaters this weekend with the studio’s ‘Prometheus.’

Starting this Friday, one long ‘Pi’ scene will be attached to Sir Ridley Scott’s sci-fi epic, according to the NY Times. A second clip will be attached to the studio’s horror-history mash up ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,’ out June 22 (and also in 3D). Finally, the Times reports that Fox would like to have one last clip attached to ‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ when it reaches theaters in July.

“This film is special and different, and so we didn’t want to give people the same-old, same-old,” said Tom Rothman, co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, who appears to be comparing Lee’s 3D work to James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ effort (also a Fox release).

It’s a smart move by a studio as we enter this brave new world of movie marketing, particularly for 3D movies. If we’re watching trailers on our laptops or catching TV spots during the MTV Movie Awards, how are we supposed to know how impressive a given film’s 3D looks?

We’re excited about ‘Life of Pi’ either way, but if Lee has come up with an ‘Avatar’ or ‘Hugo’-level 3D experience, we really can’t wait to see it. How about you?