James Cameron is capable of many things, like directing sequels that are better than the original and cutting down box office records like they’re butter. But he also likes to gamble big and break budget records. He did it with both “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” and again with “Titanic.” Now Cameron is trying to surpass himself by making all three “Avatar” sequels for a reported budget of over $1 billion.
According to Deadline, the combined budget of the “Avatar” sequels is more than double the combined budget of both the original “Avatar” and “Titanic.” Of course, that’d give each individual film about the same amount of budget as the first film in the series, but investing $1 billion (a bit under half of the total box office for “Endgame”) in not one but three sequels to a 10-year-old film? Especially since the last film won’t arrive before 2027? If anyone can somehow justify and even pull that off is James Cameron.
Deadline is also reporting that the New Zealand Film Commission’s health and safety production protocols were endorsed by the national government, which potentially allows film and TV productions to restart in the country following the industry’s shutdown due to the global pandemic. This would be welcoming news at a time where projects are being constantly announced, but virtually nothing is actively in production. These new measurements could allow the “Avatar” sequels and Amazon‘s “The Lord of the Rings” series to resume production in the coming months.
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New Zealand Film Commission CEO Annabelle Sheehan confirmed Deadline’s report, saying: “The NZFC’s focus and commitment since the industry hiatus, has been the health and safety of all those who work in the New Zealand film industry and the ongoing sustainability of the wider screen sector,” She added, “We are heartened and grateful for the hard work and partnership of the guilds who have worked to get this document completed so quickly.”