Fox announced today James Cameron will write and direct Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 for the studio with tentative expectation to film them back-to-back with an anticipated release schedule starting in December 2014 followed by the third film in December 2015. Cameron’s goal is to begin work on the scripts early next year with a goal of beginning production late 2011.
Previously it’s been reported Avatar 2 may explore the oceans of Pandora and perhaps expand further into the Alpha Centauri AB system.
Cameron was quoted in the press release saying, “It is a rare and remarkable opportunity when a filmmaker gets to build a fantasy world, and watch it grow, with the resources and partnership of a global media company. Avatar was conceived as an epic work of fantasy – a world that audiences could visit, across all media platforms, and this moment marks the launch of the next phase of that world. With two new films on the drawing boards, my company and I are embarking on an epic journey with our partners at Twentieth Century Fox. Our goal is to meet and exceed the global audience’s expectations for the richness of Avatar‘s visual world and the power of the storytelling. 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. I’m looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild.”
The first Avatar film took in nearly $2.8 billion in worldwide box-office as well as won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Director on top of being nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and winning Oscars for art direction, visual effects and cinematography.
It is already the top-selling Blu-ray of all-time even though it was simply a bare bones, featureless release with the Avatar: Collector’s Edition DVD and Blu-ray coming out on November 16, targetting Holiday shoppers and sure to rake in plenty of more money. (You can preorder the set from Amazon right here.)
