Avatar 2: What We Currently Know

There is no question that the first Avatar was truly a work of passion for the filmmaker, James Cameron, who spent years developing the script as well as the technological advancements that needed to happen, so you didn’t expect him to hand the sequel off to someone else, did you? Cameron will be returning for Avatar 2, Avatar 3, Avatar 4…

From the technology side, he has some great plans. He has discussed filming at higher frame rates using performance capture underwater. One thing is for sure, Avatar 2 is going to push the boundaries of modern filmmaking. Cameron wants to show that the first Avatar film was no fluke.

The major challenge facing Cameron is that while he’s working on writing one story, he’s also trying to write three movies. Apparently, the Avatar 2 script will be part of a larger story, one that’s going to carry through all of the upcoming sequels.

This has proven to be difficult, which is why it is taking so long for Avatar 2. He’s ensuring the narrative is sound between all three films, and because they plan to film all three movies back-to-back, all the scripts need to be ready to shoot before he begins filming Avatar 2. Otherwise, there’s the risk of omitting something in Avatar 2 that will prove costly down the road.

The main character of Avatar is going to be coming back for the franchise’s sequels (no surprise). Sam Worthington has spent the time since his big role in Avatar starring in movies like Sabotage, Clash of the Titans, and Man on a Ledge. He signed the deal that will have him playing human-turned-Na’vi Jake Sully.

With Jake Sully coming back, it’s no surprise his alien ladylove is also returning. Like Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana has confirmed she will be back as Neytiri in Avatar 2, 3 and 4. Saldana has become a queen of the sci-fi genre since the release of Avatar, taking part in the new Star Trek sequel and Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy.

Remember the quote that nobody really dies in a sci-fi movie? That rule seems to apply to Stephen Lang’s Colonel Miles Quaritch. When we saw him last, Neytiri was putting two arrows through his chest. The audience may have thought the villain had passed away, but it seems that’s not the case at all.

Quaritch is described as the “Darth Vader” of the franchise, and he will keep being an antagonistic force in all three upcoming Avatar sequels. James Cameron’s Quaritch will have an interesting arc through the movies, so keep an eye on this character.

Most of you likely remember Dr. Grace Augustine (played by Sigourney Weaver) who died while in her Avatar form in the first movie. That’s not about to stop her from appearing in the upcoming sequel.

Just three months after Avatar’s release in 2009, Dr. Augustine’s place in Avatar 2 was already confirmed. James Cameron explains the character’s survival by saying, “Nobody dies in a science fiction movie.” Presumably, the real reason will be revealed to us in the sequel.

Avatar 2 is in preproduction, with a planned release date of December 2017. While the director has said that the film is in production, the scripts are still being refined. The exact time the filming will begin is not known. Once the main production of all three films is done, the extensive post-production process will start, and between movies, the production teams will get back together for reshoots.

What’s James Cameron been up to recently? Avatar producer Jon Landau spoke with Douglas Trumbull about a new film process combing 3D, 4K resolution, and high frame rates (max 120/second) into a single package.

This really sounds like a match made in heaven. Cameron’s a big supporter of both HFR and 3D, so it wouldn’t be that big of a surprise if this tech was adopted for this or future sequels.

After Avatar 2, there is going to be at least two more movies. It is expected that the sequels will be filmed immediately after Avatar 2, and then there will be one movie per year each year. But, could there be more than just 3 sequel movies?

The late James Horner, Avatar composer, said that Cameron actually had four film scripts on the go at some point. That’s one more than the three movies Cameron talked about. It seems the plan is to reorganize the four scripts into three movies