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‘Avatar 2’ Will Start Production In 2017, Release Date Confirmed?

By Viraj Mahajan
Published on: 22:36 PST, Aug 23, 2016

Avatar movie fans will have to wait for another two years to see Pandora on the big screen. Stephen Lang, the American actor who will reprise his role of Colonel Miles Quaritch in Avatar 2, recently revealed the insights of the upcoming movie.

During a panel discussion at Wizard World Comic Con Chicago via Blastr, Lang talked about the production process of Avatar 2 and the possible release date of all the upcoming parts in the awaited sequel.

“As the New Year turns, we start to shoot for the Avatar sequels. I think that the whole process of making the films and opening the films will go to about 2023.”

Lang’s disclosure about the film matches James Cameron’s announcement, where he said that his new movies would be released in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023. According to Variety, the eminent director revealed that while making the first part, he only envisioned two more sequels. But after brainstorming with four other screenwriters and graphic designers, he decided to turn the story in four more films.

“We have decided to embark on a truly massive cinematic project, making four epic films, each of which stands alone but together forms a complete saga,” he added.

Soon after the release of Avatar in 2009, the possible sequels were announced. However, the production of Avatar 2 has been delayed. Even Fox has refused to comment on the delays and the exact release date of the film.

During his conversation with Montreal Gazette, Cameron explained why there has been this much of delay in the sequels. Terminator 2 director went on to say that for him and his production crew, the most important thing is to focus on story – not worrying about the release date.

“I don’t consider that to be as important as the fact that when we get all three films done, we drop them a year apart,” he further elaborated his vision of turning one film into a franchise.

Meanwhile, there were earlier reports that suggested that Avatar 2 will have more CGI than the first part. According to IndiWire, Titanic director revealed that the awaited sequel will have more Na’vi world than the viewers saw in the first one.

“You have to think of it more like an animated film, so it’s not really shooting per se. It’s a lot of performance capture work, so yeah, we’re getting into that,” the 61-year-old Cameron further revealed.

Avatar franchise producer Jon Landau also shared some insights about the production of the movie. During his conversation with Empire Magazine, Landau revealed that like Avatar, they have again collaborated with Peter Jackson’s WETA technology to create the CGI effects for the film.

“WETA are already working and we have our core team, (animation supervisor) Richie Baneham and (digital effects’ supervisor) Nolan Murtha, working with us. And we’re working on underwater performance-capture.”

So the film is going to be shot mostly underwater? Well, in 1989, Cameron directed The Abyss, which followed the story of a U. S. recovery team that works with an oil platform crew. During their expedition, they meet something unexpected in the ocean. So, based on the director’s knowledge of oceanography and his dedication towards every detail, there are chances that Avatar 2 will have more underwater sequences.

However, Landau revealed that the Pandora ocean is going to be a place where the Na’vi will come and go as they please.

“It’s not going to be all underwater; [the Pandora ocean is] going to be a place we go to, leave and come back to.”

James Cameron’s Avatar 2 was earlier supposed to release on Dec. 2017, but now from the recent updates by Stephen Lang, it looks like the fans of the 2009 sci-fi epic will have to wait for another year to see the Na’vi back in action.

[Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for DIFF]

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