James Cameron's Avatar sequels are actually happening, and while release dates continue to be pushed back again and again, all signs point to these movies actually being released. And a strange thing has happened, I'm actually sort of excited for it. We continue to see shots of the production of Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 as the hype train continues unabated and it looks like everybody involved is having a good time and that usually translates to a strong end product. The newest behind-the-scenes shot shows that Michelle Yeoh is teaching James Cameron a thing or two on set.
Filming of Avatar 2 is largely complete at this point, but the sequels move forward as Avatar 3 is also being shot alongside the first sequel. Producer Jon Landeau recently dropped a picture on Instagram that appears to show actress Michelle Yeoh, known for her martial arts ability, doing some light sparing with her director. It looks like she might be teaching him some hand-to-hand combat moves. Check it out.
It's been about a year since it was announced that Michelle Yeoh was set to join the Avatar sequels in the role of Dr. Karina Mogue. Of course, we know just short of nothing about who this character is or how she will fit into the Avatar movies. The only thing we can apparently be sure of is that she'll survive Avatar 2, as she's apparently hanging around the set of Avatar 3.
Avatar 2 is currently set to release in December of 2022 with Avatar 3 following two years later. It's been a long road for the sequels considering that if the movies had kept their original release dates we would have seen them both already. However, the writing process took James Cameron a long time, and it also resulted in the expansion of the Avatar sequels from just a couple more movies to four. The first two are currently in production, and the final two are currently set to begin shooting shortly after Avatar 3 is released.
Michelle Yeoh isn't the only big name that's joined the Avatar sequels. James Cameron's Titanic lead Kate Winslet will also be joining the franchise with the sequels, which will see the return of Sam Worthington's Jake and Zoe Saldana's Neytiri, and also introduce their children. We'll also see the return of a couple of cast members that we really weren't expecting. Both Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang are confirmed to be back in the next movie, this despite the fact that both characters seemingly died in the first Avatar.
While Michelle Yeoh may be playing a doctor in the upcoming films, one hopes her role will allow her to get at least a little bit physical like she is here. She's certainly still got the skills and seeing her cut loose in a big budget blockbuster like this would likely look even more impressive than usual.
