Critically-acclaimed director, writer, and producer James Cameron admits that “Avatar 2” and the two other films in the tetralogy have set very high fan expectations that the film must deliver big time.
In a phone interview very recently, Cameron said that the pressure is quite high on “Avatar 2” because it has to perform well at the box-office to make sure that the original film will not be referred to by some critics as just some big fluke.
“Avatar” is the world’s most successful film in history with $2.7 billion in box-office earnings worldwide. It has held the top spot since the film was released in 2009.
Cameron also said that he considers “Avatar” as a nice rod that will hit his back if he and his production team do not deliver big time on “Avatar 2″ and the two other sequels.
He also admits that it is a big challenge for himself, but he is taking it on a positive note. Rather than being pressured by fans, he is the one putting a bigger pressure on himself and his production team for “Avatar 2.”
Production process now underway
The “Avatar 2” director also offered an update on the first film of the tetralogy when he said that the second installment is now in the production process.
He said that he has three scripts for “Avatar 2,” “Avatar 3,” and “Avatar 4,” and he is in the process of doing another pass through all the scripts because he wanted to refine them and make them parallel with the design process, details Tech Times.
Cameron went on to say that the design process is very mature because the production team has been at it for about a year and a half already. He added that all the characters, settings, and creatures are pretty much set.
This means that filming shall begin as scheduled early next year so that the film will be right on target for its December 2017 release date. Filming will not just be for “Avatar 2” but will be continuous for the next two films.
“Avatar 3” will come out in December 2018 while “Avatar 4” will hit theaters in December 2019.
Another pressure on Cameron for “Avatar 2” is the fact that the first film was not only successful in the box-office, it also garnered nine Oscar nominations.
“Avatar 2” must not only be a commercial success but should be critically-acclaimed too, an attribute which most of James Cameron films possess anyway.
Turning the saga into a franchise
Cameron also said that he and his production team have been working over the past few years to get all the necessary ducks in a row.
The legendary filmmaker believes that expectations on the sequels are going to be through the roof and he just wants to make sure that the next films can measure up to what viewers wanted and turn the alien saga into a franchise, that it so deserves, notes Blastr.
It seems likely that the “Avatar” tetralogy shall be able to turn the alien epic saga into a franchise, but the bigger question is whether anyone from the three upcoming movies shall have enough power to finally topple “Avatar” as the most successful film in history in terms of box-office success.
James Cameron also disclosed in an earlier interview that actors Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang will be back not just on “Avatar 2” but the two other films of the “Avatar” tetralogy.
Cameron confirmed the speculations that Weaver and Lang will be part of the sequels to the most successful film in history even though their respective characters in the first film already died. He said during a recent interview that nobody dies in a science-fiction film.
Sigourney Weaver’s character in “Avatar” was Dr. Grace. She gets shot and dies before the Na’vi could complete the transfer of her consciousness to her avatar body.
Stephen Lang, on the other hand, played Colonel Miles Quaritch. He was struck and killed by huge arrows piercing his chest in the first film.
In justifying the return of the two actors, Cameron said that he and Sigourney have a long creative history, dating back to 1985 when they made “Aliens,” the second movie of the classic film franchise.