It has been reported two weeks ago that the release date of the sequel to the highest grossing film of all time “Avatar 2” has been delayed by a year from December 2016 to December 2017.
Apparently, the decision has something to do with “Avatar” producer, director and writer James Cameron having too many materials to do not just the planned three sequels to the movie but actually four.
As a result, Cameron had to go back to the drawing board to ensure that the materials he has would just be sufficient enough to make three sequels and not four. That necessitated a lot of time for him to figure out which materials should make the cut and which should be discarded.
In a recent interview, James Cameron said that he is not in a hurry to capitalize on the success of the first film, believing more on the quality of stories that he’s telling. He added that they’ve had a couple of years to think through the storylines of the next three sequels of “Avatar” so he is confident that they will come out to meet fan expectations, cites KpopStarz.
Obviously, Cameron is not in a hurry since “Avatar” was released in 2009 and more than six years since then, the sequel is still in the works.
“Avatar” went on to make a worldwide box office haul of $2.7 billion, the all-time highest record for a film, and about half of the figure actually came from the US.
Not easy task
James Cameron said that it’s not easy working on the script for “Avatar 2” and the next two sequels of “Avatar,” citing that there’s a layer of complexity in getting the story to work as a saga across three films that simply cannot be derived in making a stand-alone film.
He confirmed that his screenwriting team has been writing “Avatar 2” simultaneously with “Avatar 3” and “Avatar 4” because he wants everything to be seamless.
The critically-acclaimed moviemaker said that it would be difficult to make one and then make up and do another one and another one after that than putting them together in one sitting.
It is also easier for the designers of the characters and environments that they will be using for the next three “Avatar” sequels.
After “Avatar 2” is released in December 2017, “Avatar 3” will follow suit in December 2018, and finally by “Avatar 4” in December 2019.
Movie 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.