‘Avatar 2’ Release Date, Trailer Accompany James Cameron’s Villain, Comics Reveal

The Avatar 2 release date, as well as its story, may be getting leaked earlier than we thought.

The release date was revealed to be a couple of years away, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, almost giving the sequel a production time similar to that of the original, a film over a decade in production. The first Avatar had been released to theaters around the same time as M. Night Shyamalan’s critically derided film adaptation of the cartoon of the same name, leading to his film being called The Last Airbender instead.

The upcoming sequels to James Cameron’s mostly animated blockbuster are said to be coming much more quickly after the Avatar 2 release date in 2017.

Though it helped revive interest in the film, the recent leak of a concept image from producer Jon Landau might not be as official as we were led to believe. Deadline has revealed that it was a fake account and not actually Jon Landau, and it has since been suspended.

For those who haven’t seen the original Avatar, it borrows heavily from films like Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, Pocahontas, and other “natives fighting back against humans” films. Mankind has discovered a precious metal called Unobtainium directly beneath the Tree of Souls, a plant which is central to the beliefs and well-being of the Na’vi, an alien race which calls the planet Pandora home.

In order to communicate with the aliens, a corporation has promised Jake Sully, an amputee, the chance to get fully functioning legs again. In return, he has to convince the Na’vi to leave their land and allow the humans to mine for the metal. As he discovers new life in a synthetic body, Jake decides to fight alongside the aliens, becoming their hero.

.@IGN provides the latest on Avatar 2, and #Star WarsThe Force Awakens http://t.co/bND5jFa75w pic.twitter.com/B1CiUY7t1z

— Dailymotion (@DailymotionUSA) October 6, 2015

When the Avatar 2 release date hits, James Cameron has revealed that the villain will once again be Stephen Lang’s Colonel Miles Quaritch, the man who tried to conquer the Na’vi in the first film. Apparently he didn’t die, as Cameron says he will be a “Darth Vader”-style villain. It’s possible that the Tree of Souls will resurrect him as a hybrid life form, able to breathe the air on Pandora without a mask.

James Cameron told Deadline about how he’s dealing with Quaritch.

“Steven was so memorable in the first film, we’re privileged to have him back. I’m not going to say exactly how we’re bringing him back, but it’s a science fiction story, after all. His character will evolve into really unexpected places across the arc of our new three-film saga. I really look forward to working with such a gifted actor, who’s also become a good friend.”

The Avatar 2 release date will also be possibly further explained in a new comic book series from Dark Horse, says Coming Soon. We might expect the comic book to tease how Colonel Quaritch will return to be the main villain for the next three films, or further explain how the Na’vi have coped with the damage he inflicted in the first movie and adapted their combat and culture in response.

Again, James Cameron has revealed what he’s doing with the comic book series set to hit before the Avatar 2 release date.

“I’m excited that starting now, even before the release of the first sequel, Dark Horse Comics will be bringing you new adventures from Pandora. Covering the time before, during, and after the events of the original Avatar film. Now [Dark Horse is] working directly with me and our team at Lightstorm in an unprecedented ten-year partnership that’s going to create new stories that will take you deeper into the world of Avatar.”

What will happen with Colonel Quaritch and the Na’vi? How will the comics lead into the next film without giving too much away?

We will all know when the Avatar 2 2017 release date hits.

[Feature image via Alpha Coders]