Filmmaker James Cameron Says ‘Avatar’ Will Now Have Four Sequels
During CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday, Fox introduced a special and surprise guest – filmmaker James Cameron.
In his short talk, the filmmaker and director finally confirmed the upcoming movies that would follow up his blockbuster success, Avatar in 2009, which earned $2.8 billion worldwide.
However, Cameron, 61, said that he would not prepare one, two, or three sequels following the events of the original Avatar. He said that he would like to make four sequels, which would truly provide the full story.
We’re now getting four Avatar sequels from James Cameron. https://t.co/Z9gbqrikk0 pic.twitter.com/bCvsGLDTf1
— GameSpot (@gamespot) April 15, 2016
“We began to bump up against the limitations for our art form,” Cameron pointed out that the initially planned three sequels were not enough the full Avatar story.
“We have decided to embark on a truly massive cinematic process,” Cameron added.
There was a tentative release date of Avatar 2 in December 2014, although that did not pan out.
According to the report, Cameron has assembled a group of the finest screenwriters in the industry to design the world, and tell the full story of his original creation.
“I’ve been working the last couple of years with a team of four top screenwriters to design the world of Avatar going forward: The characters, the creatures, the environment, the new cultures,” the director said.
So far, from what he sees of their progress, Camera said that the new Avatar sequels will exceed the original concept and imagination of the first movie.
“It’s going to be a true epic saga,” the award-winning director proudly said.
As early as now, James Cameron is already working with several groups and companies to expand the world of Avatar. Some of the projects include an Avatar-themed park by Disney, as well as spin-off graphical novel versions by Dark Horse Comics.
Still, the films will be the primary factor to Cameron’s dream world of Pandora. In his talk at CinemaCon, he said that he plans to premiere Avatar 2 in December 2018, and then subsequent films in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
Released in 2009, Avatar featured the story of a soldier (Sam Worthington), who had a disability that made him unable to fight the inhabitants of Pandora, a planet rich in minerals and substances that cost millions of dollars on Earth.
James Cameron Talks About the Process of Making the First ‘Avatar’ Movie
To connect with Pandora’s natives, unique human-like beings were created, serving as avatars for the humans’ science and research team. The main protagonist had a dilemma regarding which side he would choose.
At the end of the film, [spoiler alert] he decided to leave his human body, which was dying due to gunshot wounds, and permanently live in his avatar.
“It’s going to be a true epic saga that’s told in this rich and complex world,” Cameron emphasized.
In addition to officially reviving talks about the Avatar sequels, Cameron also shared his thoughts regarding Sean Parker’s Screening Room, which aims to release films in homes rather than theaters on the same day the films premiere.
While everyone in the event did not refer to it directly, Cameron was brave enough to stand up for the conventional movie industry that featured theaters and movies shown on the big screen.
“Together we’re going to continue to make this industry the biggest show on earth,” he told the audience at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
The filmmaker also pointed out how theaters are doing their best to deliver the best movie experience to theater-goers.
“It’s essential for movies to be offered exclusively in theaters on their initial release. So: boom,” he added to the applause of movie fans.
Finally, he said that the upcoming Avatar movies are meant to be “seen in the theater.”
[Photo by Virginia Mayo/AP Images]
