Initially slated for a 2016 release, James Cameron’s much-awaited science fiction film ‘Avatar 2’ is bound to hit theaters Christmas 2017 with sequels ‘Avatar 3’ and ‘Avatar 4’ expected to be released on the same dates in 2018 and 2019 respectively, all with an IMAX release, confirms 20th Century Fox.
The director behind the two highest-grossing films of all time is setting his sights to surpass his own achievements. Eight years after the first “Avatar” film was released, Cameron has a major plan for his box-office franchise’s comeback and a lot of work to do before December 2017 comes.
Cinema Blend details the ‘Titanic’ director intends a one-time, big-time production for the “Avatar” franchise with all the three films being shot and produced simultaneously despite release dates of one year apart. Ideally, Cameron admits this was how he wanted to do the sequels long before. The filmmaker also plans to shoot the sequels at an advanced frame rate than that of the film industry’s standard 24 frames per second to add a magnified sense of reality.
Lack of creativity is not the issue
Crossmap reports that the 60-year old director initially had four scripts in hand but with only a trilogy to work on, the project was subjected to multiple delays in order to make the needed alterations and adjustments. Now, Cameron and the other writers are really trying to reduce the four scripts into three without surrendering Avatar’s vision of a masterpiece and fans’ expectations. A few weeks ago, Fox CEO Jim Gianopulus confirms that the story for the sequels was being finalized.
Obviously, Cameron aims to outdo himself so he enlisted help to work on the next Avatar films. He will be working with husband and wife Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver of “Rise of The Planet of the Apes” for “Avatar 2,” lending a hand for “Avatar 3” is Josh Friedman of “The Black Dahlia,” and “Armageddon’s” Shane Salermo will co-write “Avatar 4.”
Speaking to the Associated Press, Cameron says the complexity in filming the three sequels simultaneously is very evident adding that the writing process is one big challenge. But once it materializes, everyone will get to see that “Avatar” is a saga of many movies that can’t be told through a stand-alone film.
Reports say the second “Avatar” film will dive in more on the world of Pandora specifically its ocean ecosystem with the team developing a technology for underwater motion capture as well as engaging more in the Na’vi culture. It is still set to follow the story of Neytiri and Jake Sully. Speculations that it might not be called “Avatar 2” anymore are on the rise because Jake wasn’t an Avatar anymore after the first film but rather a Na’vi.
Moreover, producer Jon Landau teases that humans will return in the sequel and will have a seemingly larger role implying there will be good and bad ones. The sequel to the 2009 box-office hit is to take place years after the events of the first film to parallel the eight-year gap between the two films.