Avatar entered the scene with a tremendous amount of hype, along with a fair amount of apprehension, and capitalized off of it ably. Between the critical success and the record-breaking box office, not to mention the revolutionary technology, a sequel was guaranteed. The eventuality of a sequel was given creedence when director James Cameron himself announced his intention to continue to tell the story of the brave, noble Na’vi and their home planet of Pandora with not just one, but two sequels. Cameron planned for a late 2014 release of Avatar 2 and a year later, Avatar 3 would bow.
However, the excitement over those coming sequels must now be tempered with the realization that the wait will be far longer than expected. According to Bleeding Cool (via Movies.com) producer Jon Landau has speculated that the sequels are still “four years away.” While this is not a shock considering the length of time it took to make the first movie, as well as Cameron‘s conviction to pushing and refining the 3D technology involved, the news is still likely to dampen the spirits of those who were so enchanted by the first outing.
However, Cameron has previously stated his intention to shoot the films back to back, and while this fact may be another reason for the delay between now and the release of the second film, that should hopefully decrease the delay between the second and third films. In a quick tidbit, following the 3D re-release of Titanic this April, Landau also mentioned we might see Terminator 2 and Aliens next. Check out that report on HeyUGuys, in which the producer believes Cameron will want to take on another post-conversion after he finishes these massive back-to-back productions.
Are you already looking forward to 2015/2016 so you can get your next dose of Avatar?