Opening scene in ‘Avatar’ altered for DVD, Blu-ray

James Cameron is giving “Avatar” a fresh start.

Cameron unveiled a new opening scene Tuesday for an extended cut of his sci-fi blockbuster, due Nov. 16 on DVD and Blu-ray disc.

It depicts the dreary earthly existence of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) before he’s invited to join the Avatar program on the distant moon Pandora.

An ex-Marine now in a wheelchair, Jake lives in a tiny, seedy room and hangs around boozing it up at a bar, where he starts a fight – but for a good cause. He takes on a guy who had been slapping a woman around.

Cameron said he decided to cut that opening from last year’s theatrical release despite how “great that sequence of scenes is for his character, and showing how even though he’s paralyzed, he’s not a victim. He’s still a warrior. He’s a stubborn, scrappy, brawling guy, but also one with a conscience and a sense of justice.”

The extended home-video cut runs 16 minutes longer than the original theatrical version of “Avatar,” the biggest modern blockbuster with $2.8 billion at the box office worldwide.

The three-disc DVD and Blu-ray release also includes 45 minutes of deleted scenes, a feature-length documentary and 17 short segments examining the technology, music, stunts and other elements of the film.