‘Avatar 2’ Cast Assembling In August; Sequels' Scripts All Completed; No Cliffhangers
ByJames Cameron has given an update about the highly anticipated sequels of the 2009 epic sci-fi film "Avatar." The director finally revealed when filming for "Avatar 2" will begin and revealed the progress of the fifth movie.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Cameron confirmed that he will begin the motion capture with the "Avatar 2" cast in August 2017. The filmmaker added that their "volume is up and running, and everything is designed, and so we're going full-guns right now."
Cameron was pleased to reveal that he has completed all of the planned installments' scripts after writing them in the last two years -- a process which he did not enjoy. He is now done writing "Avatar 5" and is on the verge of "starting the process of active prep."
Cameron also stressed that his focus is not solely on "Avatar 2" right now, saying that the second up to the fifth installments are being "developed equally." The sequels will be released in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023, respectively, and were written as "separate stories that have an overall arc inclusive of the first film," SlashFilm reported. This means that the movies will all have conclusions instead of cliffhangers usually seen in movie franchises.
Cameron said in October 2016 that he wants the movies to jumpstart a momentous innovation in storytelling. He hopes to show the film with glasses-free 3D and higher frame rates.
The second movie will go back to the sprawling world of Pandora but will explore its parts even further, MovieWeb reported. There will be underwater scenes too captured using advanced technology, which sounds challenging and pricey to film but will surely delight the audience when they see it on the big screen.
Sam Worthington will reprise his role as lead character Jake Sully. Other returning cast members include Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Stephen Lang as Colonel Quaritch and Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine.
Grace died in the first film but Weaver's return might mean that the character will get resurrected. The actress, however, said on "The Jonathan Ross Show" that she will come back in a different role, while Cameron said that no one really "dies in a science fiction movie," according to Cinema Blend. It remains to be seen which of these circumstances will be pursued regarding Grace's comeback.
Are you excited for the second installment? Do you think it's going to be worth the near-decade wait? Sound off in the comments section below!