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‘Avatar 2’ Postponed, Director James Cameron Needs More Time

By Val Powell
Published on: 20:18 PST, Jan 21, 2016

Avatar 2 is in the works, but Fox has yet to announce a new release date for the second installment of James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi blockbuster. It seems like the much-awaited sequel, which was originally slated for a December 2017 release via Twentieth Century Fox, will not be able to meet its deadline.

Fox refused to comment on the delay, and there’s no news yet about the other two sequels, which the studio had initially planned to release in 2018 and 2019. His team is already in the early phases of computer animation works and soundstage construction, but the director has not yet scheduled a start date for filming.

However, last month, the director confirmed that a 2017 release was in the works, and Fox chairman-CEO Jim Gianopulos had also said the same after visiting Cameron in his New Zealand office.

“James Cameron has his own pace,” Gianopulos said.

Cameron had originally intended to create four more sequels to the famous film, but his contract has limited him to three sequels. The meticulous director is reportedly going to shoot all three sequels simultaneously in New Zealand.

He has already prepared the scripts for Avatar 2, Avatar 3, and Avatar 4 to make sure that there won’t be any problem when filming starts. Another reason Cameron chose to shoot the films simultaneously is because he wants the films to have a continuous and comprehensive meta-narrative.

Fox has not revealed any details about Avatar 2, but Cameron hinted that fans will get to see other parts of Pandora. Some reports claim the sequel will focus on the water ecosystem of the fictional planet.

In an interview with Montreal Gazette, Cameron said the three sequels will be stand-alone films, but they will all have a constant narrative thread that will glue them all together in the end.

The creative process for Avatar 2 spanned over two years, but Cameron and his team will surely bring the audience to a whole new part of Pandora. Sources allege that the main plot will show a huge war against the humans and the Na’vis. Another theory suggests that while the first installment focused on the action and adventure side, Avatar 2 will explore the emotional side of the protagonists’ story. The first sequel will pick up where the first one ended.

Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldana and Jake, portrayed by Sam Worthington, may have pacified the war between humans and Pandora citizens in the first film, but it does not mean that peace has been restored. War between humans and the Na’vis could break out anytime soon, and the two have to protect their children, who are half-human and half Na’vis.

The Avatar 2 Predecessor Grossed Almost $2.8 Billion Worldwide

Another reason for the delay of Avatar 2 is technology. Because the sequel will focus on the water ecosystem, it is possible that Cameron is thinking of a way to effectively shoot underwater with special high-end cameras to achieve the effects he desires. The first Avatar took five years before it made its way to the big screen and over two years in postproduction. It won’t be surprising if Avatar 2 doesn’t make a 2017 release.

However, Cameron said he hopes to finish their preparations by the end of the year so that they can start with the filming process. If Avatar 2 does get released by December 2017, expect to see a huge showdown between two major movie franchises as Star Wars: Episode VIII was pushed back for a December 2017 release as well.

The Force Awakens is the third highest grossing film ever at $1.9 billion next to another Cameron film, Titanic at $2.2 billion, and Avatar at $2.8 billion.

[Image via YouTube]

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