20th Century Fox had originally given Avatar 2 a December 2014 release date with Avatar 3 hitting a year later in December 2015, however while speaking at a screening of Titanic 3D producer Jon Landau said “it will be four or so years” before the second film will be released.

Assuming he’s got his numbers right, that means James Cameron and the team are now aiming for either December 2015, or 2016. In order to have hit the original 2014 release filming would have had to begin sometime this year, but in a recent interview Sam Worthington said Cameron still hasn’t got a complete script and he’s trying to “push the boundaries” in regards to the technology, which could be one of the reasons for the delay.

Cameron has previously revealed the sequels to Avatar would be “focusing on the oceans on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative” as the rain forest environment we saw in the first film. This will require some underwater performance-capture, which has never been done before. Cameron is also planning to shoot at 60 frames per second which, again, has never been done before on a feature film.

The sequels will be shot back-to-back so whenever the second film hits, the third won’t be far off.

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Paramount Pictures has today released a new trailer for Titanic 3D ahead of the re-release next April. The trailer first appeared on Titanic‘s official Facebook page with an introduction from director James Cameron.

Paramount has also released a poster for the re-release, which you can view below:

It’s been 14 years since Cameron’s movie won 11 Oscars and made over $1.8 billion worldwide. Will you be buying a ticket to see it in 3D?

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Last year James Cameron said the sequels to Avatar would be “focusing on the oceans on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative” as the rain forest environment we saw in the first film.

While exploring the depths of Pandora will prove a technical and visual challenge (performance-capture underwater, for example), it will give Cameron the opportunity to slip in some environmental issues causing concern here on Earth.

Cameron recently spoke to ABC’s Nightline about the ocean issues which will be present in the sequel, and you can watch the interview using the player below:

I didn’t mind Cameron’s environmental themes in the first film as it’s welcoming to see a popular movie with a message, but at the same time it’s good to know he won’t be overbearing with the environmental issues in the sequels, admitting that “it has to be entertainment first and foremost.”

Avatar 2 has a release date of December 2014 and Avatar 3 will hit a year later in December 2015. Back-to-back filming of the sequels will begin sometime next year.

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Despite the box office success of Avatar the sales of Avatar: The Game weren’t that impressive. It wasn’t a flop, selling over 2.7 million copies, but it didn’t meet expectations, which some blame on Ubisoft’s decision to release it 2 weeks ahead of the movie (before the hype).

With Avatar 2 and 3 set for 2014 and 2015 Ubisoft will have another chance to make an Avatar game, and director James Cameron thinks the universe is “perfect” for an MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game).

From IGN:

I think Avatar is a perfect IP for an MMO. It’s a very, very big world and based on the first film, you might not sense that, but we’re talking about an entire planet, an entire alter world, and in fact a universe that has other planetary bodies, as well, and other cultures, other life forms. Eventually people will see enough scope to be able to see how the MMO will work, but that’s going to have to be launched…the timing of that is going to have to be carefully orchestrated with the release of the second and third film because we don’t want to be giving away elements before the fact. And also I think one of the cool things about an MMORPG is that you have to have a lot more possibilities for characters than what you see in the film. The film is really just a leaping off point, so we’ve got to create a rich and diverse world that lives well beyond the films.

While no plans are currently in place to develop an Avatar MMO, it’s an interesting prospect. If it does happen we probably won’t be seeing it for another 3-4 years so, like the movies, we’ll just have to wait patiently.

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Harry Potter, Jaws, Jurassic Park and King Kong have all made the leap from the big screen to entertaining tourists as theme park attractions, and it was just announced that Avatar will be solidifying itself in popular culture by having an attraction built at Disney Parks.

From the Disney Parks blog:

James and his producing partner Jon Landau and their team at Lightstorm Entertainment will serve as creative consultants on the project and will work side-by-side with our Walt Disney Imagineers as we dream up experiences that will take our guests deep into worlds of AVATAR like never before. There are also two sequels to the record setting first film in the works, which will offer more fascinating stories, characters and locations to explore in the AVATAR universe. Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort is planned as the site of the first AVATAR-themed land with construction expected to begin by 2013.

We believe Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a great fit for this project because it was created to give guests the opportunity to experience the worlds of animals and nature – real and mythical – in new ways. Disney’s Animal Kingdom also celebrates adventure, living in harmony with nature and environmental stewardship – themes that are deeply rooted in the story of AVATAR.

James Cameron and 20th Century Fox have a global franchise with Avatar, so the arrival of merchandise, video-games and theme parks is just another way to keeping the money rolling in. An Avatar attraction is a good idea given its popularity and the world Cameron has created, but construction won’t begin until 2013 so tourists won’t be bonding with mechanical Mountain Banshee’s for a few years yet.

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Earlier this year Peter Jackson made the decision to shoot The Hobbit movies at 48 frames per second, despite 24 fps being the film industry norm since the late 1920s. His reasoning was because at 48fps “the image has hugely enhanced clarity and smoothness” and “looks much more lifelike, and it is much easier to watch, especially in 3-D”.

This decision was a risk as there has never been a wide release feature film shot at this higher frame rate, so Warner Bros. and Jackson are “hopeful that there will be enough theaters capable of projecting 48 fps” by the time the first movie hits next December. Now James Cameron, who is familiar with technology-related risks, wants to go even higher by shooting the Avatar sequels at 60 fps.

Cameron told THR that he would “personally favor” 60 fps, but “other people may choose 48 for other reasons.”

“The reason I went down that path is because I believe it makes for better 3D,” Cameron said of his advocacy of higher frame rates in a new interview. “There were lots of arguments for why 48 and why 60. My feeling is if it is a software upgrade (for digital cinema projectors), do both. It doesn’t change anything at the projector; you don’t have to change the lamp house or the lenses. If you are uploading software you can upload it for 48 and 60 and let the filmmakers decide.”

In terms of how he will decide at what rate to shoot the Avatar sequels, Cameron said, “If the exhibitors will adopt the idea of a dual standard, than I’ll probably want to shoot 60. If they don’t, then I will have to look very carefully at the pros and cons of 60 and 48.”

When Peter Jackson announced his 48 fps decision he said 24 fps was by no means the best film speed, and it has only been used for so long because “it was the cheapest speed to achieve basic acceptable results back in 1927″. I’m always up for technological advancements when it’s clear there’s room for improvement, so hopefully The Hobbit can be shown at 48 fps next year. As Avatar 2 isn’t hitting screens until December 2014 Cameron has plenty of time for exhibitors to adopt the higher frame rates.

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Despite Dr. Grace Augustine being “with Eywa now” Sigourney Weaver hinted last year that her character could return in the Avatar sequels as she still exists “in the tree” and director James Cameron has thought of a way to keep “the family together” (i.e. the main cast).

While on the rounds promoting the Taylor Lautner/John Singleton thriller Abduction Weaver was asked about Avatar 2 and 3, and confirmed she will be back.

From Coming Soon:

“Don’t worry, I will be back,” she said of Avatar 2, confirming the hint that she dropped nearly a year ago, “Jim [Cameron] says no one ever dies in science fiction. He’s told me the stories for the next two movies and I have to say that they’re absolutely wonderful and there’s a real treat in store. Now we just have to make them.”

In June James Cameron said he was writing scripts for both films, which will be shot back-to-back, and they are currently “doing a lot of preliminary work right now on new software and new animation techniques.” Earlier this year Sam Worthington mentioned that Cameron is going to explore more of what lies beneath the oceans on Pandora, although he said “it won’t fully take place underwater but he’s definitely going to explore — same as the mountains, he can explore more, outer space [as well] — it’s up to him.”

Avatar 2 has a release date of December 2014 and Avatar 3 will hit a year later in December 2015. Filming will begin sometime next year.

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According to the New Zealand Herald (via The One Ring) James Cameron will be paying a visit to the set of The Hobbit this month.

Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg decided to make The Adventures of Tintin after playing around with the motion capture technology on the set of Avatar, so Cameron may be checking out some new technology in action in preparation for the shooting of Avatar 2 and 3 next year. Or maybe he’s going just because he can?

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December 2014 and December 2015 are the release dates currently set for Avatar 2 and Avatar 3, and director James Cameron has been working on the scripts since the beginning of the year. With filming expected to begin next year Cameron still has plenty of time to finish them, and he gave at update on where he’s at in a recent interview.

From Fox News:

“We’re shooting two films back-to-back, so I’m writing two scripts, not one, which will complete a [three]-film story arc – not really a trilogy, but just an overall character arc so I’m pretty excited about that,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of preliminary work right now on new software and new animation techniques and so on. We’re creating a new facility in Manhattan Beach so everybody that’s not already dead is coming back.”

Cameron also spoke about the pressure of making the sequels following the $2.78 billion dollar success of the first film.

“There’s always an expectation. I had to deal with that after ‘The Terminator’ back in 1984. All of a sudden I had a big hit movie and it was ‘what are you doing next?’ But my job is take the audience on a journey and entertain them,” he added. “The second I am sitting down writing, I just go to Pandora. I don’t think about that stuff, about standing on a red carpet. It has its own life, really. The characters have their own lives.”

Earlier this year Sam Worthington mentioned that Cameron is going to explore more of what lies beneath the oceans on Pandora, although he said “it won’t fully take place underwater but he’s definitely going to explore — same as the mountains, he can explore more, outer space [as well] — it’s up to him.” Motion capture underwater will be a challenge, but Cameron has been pushing the boundaries of movie technology for years, so he’ll likely do it again.

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Last year we heard about James Cameron’s intentions to re-released Titanic in 3D sometime in April 2012. Now Paramount Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox have jointly announced that Titanic 3D will be hitting 3D screens on April 6, 2012.

The date was chosen to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship setting sail (April 10, 1912) and Cameron said it would allow “a whole generation that’s never seen Titanic” to see it “as it was meant to be seen, on the big screen.”

…this will be ‘TITANIC’ as you’ve never seen it before, digitally re-mastered at 4K and painstakingly converted to 3D. With the emotional power intact and the images more powerful than ever, this will be an epic experience for fans and newcomers alike.”

Cameron has been critical of studios undertaking rushed conversions on movies as he says that they end up “putting out an inferior product”. We’ve seen over recent years with movies such as Clash of the Titans that quickie conversions aren’t that great, but it seems if Cameron is going to convert Titanic he is going to do it the right way. He can’t exactly go back and re-shoot the whole film in 3D so making a non-rushed quality 3D conversion is the next best thing.

Are you interested in seeing Titanic in 3D in 2012?

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