Way back in January,James Cameronrevealed that his long-awaited sequel,Avatar 2, has been pushed back another year, from December 2016 to December 2017. We haven’t heard much aboutAvatar 2since then, aside from newconcept artimages that surfaced back in September, and it still isn’t known when production will begin.Entertainment Weeklyrecently caught up withJames Cameron, who revealed that he hopes his ambitious sequel will prove the originalAvatar’s success wasn’t a fluke. Here’s what the filmmaker had to say, when asked if the process has gotten any easier this time around.
“No. Because you have to challenge yourself. Obviously, expectations are going to be very high on these films, especially onAvatar 2, to verify it wasn’t just some big fluke the first time. So we’ve got to deliver. I’ve created a nice rod for my own back, so they say.”
Back in 2013,James Cameronbrought on a group of writers to help him craft the stories forAvatar 2,Avatar 3andAvatar 4, which are set to arrive in December of 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.Josh Friedmancame aboard to co-writeAvatar 2, withRick JaffaandAmanda Silvertasked withAvatar 3and Shane Salerno co-writingAvatar 4. With production presumably starting sometime next year on all three sequels,James Cameronrevealed he is still tinkering with the scripts, while designing all of the characters and creatures.
“I’m in the process of doing another pass through all three scripts right now. Just refining. That’s in parallel with the design process. The design process is very mature at this point. We’ve been designing for about a year and a half. All the characters, settings and creatures are all pretty much [set].”
We reported back in 2014 thatAvatar 2,Avatar 3andAvatar 4will shoot simultaneously between eight to nine months. It isn’t known when production will actually begin yet, but 20th Century Fox chairmanJim Gianopulospromised fans this summer that these sequels will not be delayed again. What remains to be seen is ifAvatar 2can surpass the originalAvatarat the box office, which still holds the all-time records for highest domestic ($760.5 million) and worldwide ($2.7 billion) grosses. Do you thinkAvatar 2has a chance at breakingAvatar’s box office record?
