Avatar with special edition discs will hit the store shelves on November 16th, 2010 domestically and November 15th abroad.

According to THR, the DVD and Blu-ray disc versions of the James Cameron epic will include 45 minutes of additional footage not included in the original theatrical version and 36 minutes more than included in an August re-release of the winter theatrical blockbuster. The special edition discs are the first to include bonus special features.

But the movie will be presented in 2D. Avatar in 3D Blu-ray won’t hit the streets until next year.  That’s interesting because the technology is there and Cameron doesn’t give a clue to his reasoning.

“I told our team — let’s do the ultimate box set of Avatar, with everything in it the fans could possibly want,” Cameron said. “There’s an extended length cut that’s sixteen minutes longer, plus documentaries, behind the scenes featurettes, artwork and over 45 minutes of deleted scenes. Everything worth putting into a special edition is in this set.”

Except the 3D aspect that made the film so unique and beautiful.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a behind-the-scenes fanatic, and I can’t get enough of the stuff.  Avatar is a good story, but the 3D gives the film a certain edge of beauty that stands out from the rest.  I want the 3D movie and will wait until next year to get one for my library.  Are you reading this, Santa?