Variety is reporting that visual effects company Weta Digital has started work on James Cameron’s four Avatar sequels, which are slated to begin principal photography this September.
“What Joe Letteri and Weta Digital bring to these stories is impossible to quantify,” said Cameron. “Since we made Avatar, Weta continued to prove themselves as doing the best CG animation, the most human, the most alive, the most photo-realistic effects in the world. And of course, that now means I can push them to take it even further.”
“Avatar is the ideal type of film for us,” added senior visual effects supervisor Letteri. “Jim’s vision for the world of Pandora was always so much bigger than what we created for the first film. Helping him expand the language of cinema through new narratives set in such an expansive universe is the type of opportunity that rarely comes along twice. Projects like this allow everyone involved to push themselves to do their best work.”
“The excitement at Weta around Avatar is obvious and the fact is that we have already been working on it for a number of years,” stated Weta Digital executive producer David Conley. “During that period we have grown the company to a size and model that allows us to expand beyond any one project. This enables us to find a mix of other films that can help us grow along with Avatar, as is the case with Alita: Battle Angel, Avengers: Infinity War and Mortal Engines, to name a few of the other films we are currently working on.”
SEE ALSO: James Cameron isn’t concerned about the long gap between Avatar movies
Avatar 2 will open on December 18th 2020, followed by Avatar 3 on December 17th 2021, Avatar 4 on December 20th 2024 and Avatar 5 on December 19th 2025. Returning cast members include Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Joel David Moore, Stephen Lang, CCH Pounder and Sigourney Weaver, along with new additions Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones) and Cliff Curtis (Fear the Walking Dead).
Originally published August 1, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
