Cuaron’s Gravity will have 20-minute opening shot

Some interesting details have emerged regarding Alfonso Cuaron‘s upcoming sci-fi thriller Gravity, starring Robert Downey Jr. as a leader of a doomed space station team.

The U.K. based special effects company Framestore have revealed details of the difficult task ahead of them. The Playlist have compiled their comments, which include Framestore’s claim that the project will feature 60% CG feature animation, a’la Avatar.

Perhaps less surprisingly is the newly revealed fact that the film will feature a 20-minute long opening shot. Cuaron is a big fan of fluid, extended takes (as anyone who has ever seen Children of Men can attest to). Still, an opening 20-minute shot is an impressive feat.

According to Deadline, Downey Jr. will begin shooting Gravity later this year, leave to film Sherlock Holmes 2, and then return to Gravity for the end of production. It is still unknown if Downey Jr. has signed on to Oz: The Great and Powerful.

With Sherlock Holmes 2 slated for a 2011 release, we can look forward to Gravity hitting cinemas in 2012.

Discuss: Are Cuaron’s long shots becoming gimmicky?