James Cameron - Cameron Brands Battleship Movie 'Ridiculous'

Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard and Rihanna are set to star in the big screen re-imagining of the popular board game, but Avatar director Cameron is horrified by the idea of turning a toy into a film.

The Terminator creator insists moviemakers should be allowed to pursue more original concepts, rather than relying on old stories and well-worn ideas.

He tells Germany's Spiegel Online, "We have a story crisis. Now they want to make Battleship the game into a film! This is pure desperation, because now the 'Sequel Business' governs Hollywood, or how we call it: the franchise...

"Everyone in Hollywood knows how important it is that the film before it hit theatres, is already a brand. If a brand has been around, Harry Potter for example, or Spider-Man, you are light years ahead... And there lies the problem. Because unfortunately (these franchises are becoming more) ridiculous. Battleship. This degrades the cinema."