Avatar 2 has been in pre-production since shortly after the first film was released in theaters. Nearly a decade later we're still waiting for the first of several sequels to even begin filming, but more information has to come to light which says that the long-delayed project may finally be about to get off the ground. Actress Zoe Saldana says that rehearsals for the new film are less than two months aways. The actress says she's very excited to finally be about to go back to Pandora. According to Saldana...
We're gonna start rehearsals first week of June. We're gonna have table readings first week of June, so I'm excited that we're finally here.
The word from Zoe Saldana to Yahoo that a table reading will be happening in about six weeks follows on word from Sigourney Weaver that filming for Avatar 2 is set to begin this fall. Those two dates would seem to line up if they're planning for rehearsals to last through the summer, which, considering the way these films are made, almost entirely with CGI, is fairly likely. After all the delays and setbacks, is Avatar 2 finally really happening?
The movie has had so many release dates over such a long period of time that if Avatar 2 had made its initial schedule we'd be getting ready for Avatar 3 or Avatar 4 at this point. The sequel plan now contains a total of four additional movies and the scripts for all of them have apparently been written, the script process is what was blamed for the delays for quite some time. The plan has always been that once Avatar 2 hit screens, the additional sequels would follow in the same release window every year until they're done. Zoe Saldana doesn't mention them so it's not clear if, once filming begins they'll be shooting for one more than one movie or coming back later to do Avatar 3. Originally James Cameron said he's be shooting all sequels at once, so it's possible that's what Saldana is gearing up for.
After all this time is it really possible that Avatar sequels could be on their way? As popular as the first one was, the biggest box office film of all-time, it really seemed like James Cameron would be perpetually tweaking this project forever and never actually make it. I'm still going to withhold judgment. Avatar 2 has no set release date, a move that made sense after all the dates the movie has already missed. If filming actually begins, maybe then it will be believable.
If Avatar 2 actually goes into production we'll be here to watch it happen. Until then, check out everything we know about the perpetually planned sequel.
