When will the movie ‘Avatar 2’ finally get a release date?
Are we finally going back to the world of Pandora?
A sequel to 2009’s box office smash hit Avatar has long been promised to fans, but after years of delays & a global pandemic many are wondering if it will ever hit theaters. Director James Cameron’s science fiction epic has grossed over $2 billion, making it one of the highest grossing films of all time. A recent re-release of Avatar in China saw it surpass 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Fans were enthralled by Avatar’s immersive & ground-breaking visual effects. The success of the movie saw electronics & theater manufacturers adopt new 3D technology, though few films were able to match the success of Avatar. After years of rumors & delays Avatar 2 may finally have a release date, however, audiences probably shouldn’t hold their breath.
A long time coming
Following the massive success of Avatar, James Cameron announced the development of two sequels. Originally Avatar 2 was eyeing a 2014 release, however, Cameron expanded his vision for the future of the Avatar franchise into three more sequels.
The second movie was further delayed when Cameron insisted on developing new technology that would allow motion capture technology to be used underwater. Because this technology did not exist at the time, there were significant delays to the project. Cameron has also reportedly rewritten the script for the movie several times, calling it “a complex job”.
In 2015, the scheduled release dates for further Avatar sequels were pushed back a year, with Avatar 2 being released in December 2017. However, in 2016, Cameron announced that there would be four Avatar sequels, which will be shot simultaneously. This announcement also gave Avatar 2 a release date in 2018, with each subsequent movie coming two years after the last.
You may have noticed that Avatar 2 did not come out in 2018. Cameron said in an interview that the release of the movie would be pushed back to December 18, 2020. In August, 2020, the long delayed movie again saw its release date pushed back, this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this time landing on December 16, 2022.
Will it actually happen?
Motion capture photography on the Avatar sequels began in 2017. Because the technology had never before been utilized, much of the footage was sort of like a beta test. James Cameron stated that nearly 130 days of performance capture footage had been shot. In 2018, it was announced that the motion capture performances of the principal cast had been completed.
In 2019, live-action production of the film began in New Zealand. The crew wrapped in late November for a holiday break, looking to resume shooting the next year. Producer Jon Landau announced that the live-action production was to be postponed indefinitely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the summer of 2020, Cameron & crew returned to New Zealand. After a mandatory two-week isolation period, the film resumed production. In September, Cameron announced that the live-action shooting was complete. He suggested that Avatar 3 was “95%” complete.
The Way of Water?
While doing press for Alita: Battle Angel, James Cameron said that the official title for Avatar 2 would be Avatar: The Way of Water. He also said that the three subsequent Avatar sequels would be subtitled The Seed Bearer, The Tulkun Rider, and The Quest for Eywa.
The next Avatar movie will see the return of Sam Worthington & Zoe Saldana. Kate Winslet is also said to be playing an important part in the sequels. Stephan Lang, CCH Pounder, and Sigourney Weaver are also returning to the cast, however, Weaver is reportedly not reprising her role from the first film and is instead playing a new role entirely.
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Are you looking forward to Avatar 2? Do you think it will be delayed again? Let us know in the comments!
