James Cameron is fully committed to 4 more Avatar films, shooting to begin next week.
If it’s beginning to seem like every week we bring you James Cameron news, then we apologise, but it’s clear that the renowned filmmaker has recently got on some sort of strong caffeine kick as his social media presence has increased significantly of late. Recently we reported on and reviewed Cameron’s revival of his 1991 masterpiece, T2 in 3D.
We’ve also reported on his commitment to bring back True Lies as a TV show and his continuing endeavour in the development of a new a new Terminator film with Deadpool director Tim Miller, which will see not only the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger but also Linda Hamilton reprising her role as Sarah Connor. The director has expressed his desire for this film to kick start a new series of Terminator films and that it will encompass new characters to carry on the story.
Now news has emerged that filming on the long awaited Avatar sequel will begin on Monday September 25th with original cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang all set to return. The second Avatar film, (which seems to have been in development for an eternity) in what is said to be a series of four sequels, is due for release in December 2020.
Cameron recently spoke of his ongoing plans for the Avatar universe;
“The thing is, my focus isn’t on Avatar 2. My focus is on Avatar 2, 3, 4 and 5 equally. That’s exactly how I’m approaching it. They’ve all been developed equally. I’ve just finished the script to Avatar 5. I’m now starting the process of active prep. I’ll be working with the actors in the capture volume in August, so I’m booked in production every day between now and then. The important thing for me is not when the first one comes out but the cadence of the release pattern, I want them to be released as close together as possible. If it’s an annual appointment to show up at Christmas, I want to make sure that we’re able to fulfil on that promise.”
The current official release dates are December 18th, 2020 for Avatar 2, December 17th, 2021 for Avatar 3, December 20th, 2024, for Avatar 4 and December 19th 2025, for Avatar 5.
Source: Digital Spy; The Daily Beast; Variety