Ever since it’s mammoth $2.7 billion release eight years ago, “Avatar” has been surrounded by sequel talk. Whilst Disney’s plans of a Pandora-themed extension to it’s Animal Kingdom theme park in Orlando are soon to be completed, James Cameron’s long gestating movie franchise is only just now beginning to gather traction.
Actor Sam Worthington (“Hacksaw Ridge“) — who played Jake Sully in the 2009 original — recently spoke to We Got This Covered about filming the upcoming sequel (as well as Cameron’s planned third, fourth and fifth installment), revealing that it will focus on Jake — and his family — nearly a decade after the first movie.
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“I’ve read all the scripts, they’re great. This is going to be Jake eight years later, and he’s got a family now. This film is going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen. The world is bigger than the first one, but essentially, it’s a movie about family. Jake will still have that essence of a kid seeing the world for the first time, but he’s been living in the world for a while now, so what’s this world he’s seeing now for the first time? The film will explore that within this family dynamic,” he explained.
This comes after last years news that director James Cameron overwrote the stories, forcing him to create additional movies. While we’ll see if the audience appetite is still there, there’s no denying the technical chops of the original and plenty will be keen to find out what new technology James Cameron will embrace for the rest of the saga.
The first Avatar sequel is slated for a December 2018 release date, followed by an additional three films. Tentatively scheduled for December 2020, December 2022 and December 2023 releases respectively. Along with Sam Worthington, co-stars Zoe Saldana (“Guardians of the Galaxy“), Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang are also expected to return.