More than six years after the release of the very successful epic science fiction film “Avatar” in 2009, creator and director James Cameron is reportedly wrapping up work for the sequel, which would be hitting movie theaters in December 2016.
And it will not just be one sequel that is coming along but actually three sequels with the third movie expected to be released in December 2017 and the fourth film hitting theaters in December 2018, notes the Christian Post.
For a movie that grossed $2.7 billion in worldwide box-office, a sequel was really forthcoming but James Cameron needed a really good follow-up story on the lives of the Na’vi on the alien world of Pandora. So it took him quite a while to work and finalize it. It turns out that he was not just working on one but three follow-up stories already.
Sequel’s details
There have been previous details about “Avatar 2” as early as last year and it seems that they are pretty much consistent ever since.
Accordingly, “Avatar 2” will be set three years after the first film and it shall continue to focus on the lives of Jake, played by Sam Worthington, and Neytiri, played by Zoe Zaldana, as they explore the other moons of Polyphemus.
Dr. Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver, will also be returning to the sequel even though her human body already died in the first film. She will reportedly be in the next two sequels too.
Another returning character to “Avatar 2” is Col. Miles Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang, although his character was already killed off in the first film. He will still be the major antagonist to the sequel.
Shot in New Zealand
James Cameron recently disclosed that “Avatar 2” involves underwater scenes and said that viewers should expect humans to become a dangerous nuisance to themselves.
The creator and director also revealed that the three sequels to “Avatar” have all been shot on location in New Zealand. He also disclosed that as a matter of giving something back to the country of the film location, the world premiere of one of the sequels shall be held in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand.
The three sequels were also shot back-to-back so it is no wonder that its release dates have been pretty much set. But the third sequel, “Avatar 4” will instead be a prequel and shall be set 35 years before the events of “Avatar” and shall involved the earlier colonization of Pandora.
“Avatar 2” and the two other sequels will be produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau via their Lightstorm Entertainment film production company. Just like the first film which was based on the book, the three sequels shall also be culled from the three other books written by American science fiction author Steven Gould, who also wrote the critically-acclaimed book-turned-into-a-movie “Jumper.”