It has been years since we reported on the sequels to director James Cameron's 2009 hit AVATAR, but it's not like we've missed out on a huge amount of news. After spending years crafting the screenplays for not just AVATAR 2 but also parts 3, 4, and 5, Cameron began making 2 and 3 back-to-back in 2017. Nearly three years deep into filming, the production was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic… but now Cameron and the crew have returned to New Zealand so they can get production going again once they're out of the mandatory quarantine.
While New Zealand's borders are closed, Cameron and his cohorts made it through a loophole that allows in foreigners who are considered "essential to a project of significant economic value". Some locals aren't too happy about their arrival, because the virus threat has been nearly eliminated in New Zealand.
Producer Jon Landau just recently offered up some details on the AVATAR 2 story, telling RNZ,
This is the story of the Sully family and what one does to keep their family together. Jake and Neytiri have a family in this movie, they are forced to leave their home, they go out and explore the different regions of Pandora, including spending quite a bit of time on the water, around the water, in the water. I think, why do people turn to entertainment today, more so than ever? I think it's to escape, to escape the world we're in, to escape the other pressures they have in their lives. I think with Avatar, we have an opportunity to allow people to escape to an incredible world with incredible characters that they will follow, in much the same way as Peter Jackson was able to do with Lord of the Rings, so that's what we're looking forward to doing."
The cast of AVATAR 2 includes returning stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore, and Giovanni Ribisi, as well as newcomers Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, Michelle Yeoh, Cliff Curtis, and Vin Diesel.
It has been reported that David Thewlis is in the cast of part 2, but he told Collider that's not the case.
I’m not in Avatar 2. I’m going to be in Avatar 3, which was shot at the same time as Avatar 2, and the plan is that I will be in Avatar 4 and 5, as well. I just wanted to clear that up because somebody got that wrong recently."
AVATAR 2 is scheduled to reach theatres on December 17, 2021, with AVATAR 3 following on December 22, 2023.
If AVATAR 2 is successful, AVATAR 4 and 5 will be given the greenlight to go into production. They already have release dates secured, just in case: December 19, 2025 and December 17, 2027.
I'm confident 4 and 5 will be made. I wasn't interested in TITANIC, it became the biggest movie ever. I wasn't interested in AVATAR, it replaced TITANIC as the biggest movie ever. So I have learned not to bet against films directed by Cameron. (Movies he produces, like ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL and TERMINATOR: DARK FATE, don't reach the same heights.)