Filming finally begins on Avatar sequels!

It has been eight long years since James Cameron's Avatar became the highest grossing movie of all time (unadjusted), a record that has yet to be beaten despite the best efforts from Marvel Studios' Avengers and Lucasfilms' Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Since enjoying such massive success again after having directed the previous highest grossing movie of all time twelve years earlier with 1997's Titanic, Canadian director Cameron has reportedly been busy diving down to Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench (2012), developing the technology needed to make his planned sequels to Avatar, and more recently developing a new Terminator trilogy with Deadpool director Tim Miller. 

According to Deadline filming on the four sequels to Avatar has finally begun with a reported production budget for all four movies expected to be upward of $1 billion, with the first of these sequels currently scheduled to be released December 18th, 2020. Speaking to THR director Cameron revealed the production and release plan for the movies while revealing some of the new cast members.

Avatar 2 and 3 will be captured together and then [go through postproduction] sequentially. Then we go back and capture 4 and 5. They’re all written and they’re all designed, so we literally hit the ground running the day after Avatar 3 comes out, starting capture on 4 and 5 and then post on those and release those. That’s the plan. So, it’s kind of a two-and-two structure.

From Left-Right: Duane Evans Jr. (Rotxo of the Metkayina Clan), Britain Dalton (Lo’ak of the Sully Family), Filip Geljo (Aonung of the Metkayina Clan), Trinity Bliss (Tuktirey of the Sully Family), Bailey Bass (Tsireya of the Metkayina Clan), Jack Champion (Javier “Spider” Socorro), and Jamie Flatters (Neteyam of the Sully Family, standing).

As shown above, Avatar 2 onwards will feature a new generation of characters alongside returning stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, with three of youngsters pictured above playing the roles of Jake Sully and Neytiri, and the other three of the Navi Metkayina Clan, with Jack Champion being the only newcomer to play a human character.