Fox has revealed that James Cameron has agreed to make Avatar 2 & 3 his next two films. Avatar 2 has a prospective release date of December 2014, while the studio is hoping that the third film will be finished in time for a December 2015 release.
This can put those of you who were worried Cameron might direct Cleopatra first, at ease. Apparently he will begin work on the scripts for the currently-untitled Avatar sequels early next year, hoping to start production later in 2011. Cameron will make the decision as to whether they will be shot back-to-back after he has finished the scripts.
He commented on the upcoming sequels to the highest-grossing film of all time:
Our goal is to meet and exceed the global audience’s expectations for the richness of AVATAR’s visual world and the power of the storytelling. In the second and third films, which will be self contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of AVATAR’s visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world. I’m looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild.
Nothing terribly exciting revealed…just that he wants to make the sequels good.
Avatar has made almost $3 billion since its release in December 2009, and it’s likely that the second and third films in the trilogy will build on that. Personally, while I didn’t think the original was great, and while I thought there were much better sci-fi films that year that deserved more attention (District 9, Moon), I still enjoyed it – it was good. I’d be happy to make a trip to the cinema to see more stories set in the same world, especially if Cameron can improve on the first film with deeper characters and more unique storylines.
Prometheus
Amazing Spider-Man
The Hobbit
Man of Steel
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Star Trek 2
The Wolverine