We all knew sequels to the most successful movie ever made were coming, we just didn't know when.
James Cameron and Fox have officially announced that he will direct "Avatar 2" and "Avatar 3" back-to-back, and that they will be released in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
"In the second and third films, which will be self contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of Avatar's visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world," Cameron said in a news release.
"I'm looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild."
We can also assume that most of the original cast, including Sam Worthington as Jake Sully and Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, will be returning.
"With the first movie, Jim only scratched the surface of the stories he wants to tell and the creatures and world he wants to create. Now we will continue his vision," producer Jon Landau said.
In updates earlier this year, Cameron revealed that "Avatar 2" will be going into the oceans of Pandora, and eventually expanding to other moons in the solar system.
"Part of my focus in the second film is in creating a different environment – a different setting within Pandora. And I'm going to be focusing on the ocean on Pandora, which will be equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative, but it just won't be a rain forest," he said.
"We expand out across [the Alpha Centauri AB] system and incorporate more into the story – not necessarily in the second film, but more toward a third film."
Here are the details from the official press release:
Cameron, who had always viewed "Avatar" as the creation of a new world and mythology, will begin work on the scripts early next year with an eye towards commencing production later in 2011. Cameron will decide if he will shoot the films back-to-back after he completes the scripts, but the release of the first, as yet untitled sequel, is targeted for December 2014, with the third film contemplated for a December 2015 release.
"Avatar" is the highest grossing film of all time, taking in nearly $2.8 billion in worldwide box office. It is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time. "Avatar" won Golden Globe awards for Best Motion Picture and Best Director; and was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won Oscars for art direction, visual effects and cinematography.
In "Avatar," Cameron takes audiences to a spectacular world beyond imagination and limitations, where a reluctant hero embarks on a journey of redemption and discovery as he leads a heroic battle to save a civilization.
"Avatar" was written by Cameron from an idea he nurtured for over a decade, while working on the technology necessary to realize its wholly imagined world. Working with Joe Letteri and his team at Peter Jackson's WETA Digital, Cameron created a fully immersive 3D cinematic experience of a new kind, where revolutionary technology that was invented to make the film disappeared into the emotion of the characters and the epic nature of the story.
I'm interested to see where Cameron goes with his "Avatar" sequels in terms of the narrative.
"Avatar" mixed sci-fi action and creatures with a not-so-subtle allegorical storyline about the exploitation of natural resources and genocide against a native population. We’ll see if the plots of the sequels turn out to be a little less cliché and heavy-handed, while still managing to address the important social issues that Cameron is clearly interested in.
Cameron will work on the scripts for the "Avatar" sequels early next year, with an eye toward starting production in late 2011. "Avatar 2" is expected to hit theaters by December 2014, while "Avatar 3" will aim for a December 2015 release date.
