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Avatar is, once again, the highest grossing movie of all-time. The sequels to the movie have been highly anticipated, and expected for over a decade. For all that time James Cameron had promised fans that we would get more Avatar. And yet, the writing of the projects took so long that a lot of people likely assumed they would never happen. Two more movies eventually became four more movies, they continued to move forward, and then production on the next two films actually got underway. Now Avatar villain Stephen Lang who we understand will be a big part of all the movies, has actually finished filming the next two films.
If there's anything that makes the Avatar sequels feel like they might actually happen, it's the words of Stephen Lang, who played Colonel Quaritch in the original film. He'll somehow be returning to the franchise despite the fact that his character did not survive the movie. Lang tells EW that, while the possibility of him needing to return to pick some small details exists, he has otherwise completed the next two Avatar films. The actor says...
I was in communication just last week with New Zealand, with my director, and everything's great — he's working hard. My acting work on both Avatar 2 and 3 is complete. I might have to go back and do a line here and there, but I'm really done.
The extent of Stephen Lang's role in those next two movies is, like every other aspect of the Avatar sequels, is mostly unknown. But he's believed to continue to be the major antagonist of the rest of the franchise. As such, his screen time is probably considerable, and so the fact that he's done likely means that principal photography on the next two movies is close to being done overall.
Production is currently underway on the next two Avatar films, which are set to be released in December of 2022 and 2024 respectively. The last we heard, the plan was for everybody to reconvene after the release of Avatar 3 to get to work making Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, although that plan was devised prior to when Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, so it's possible things could change. Apparently a large portion of Avatar 4 is also being filmed along with the next two movies.
With Avatar 2 set to open in 16 months it's finally starting to feel real. And considering how long the movie has been in production, and how much work is likely finished, we could see a teaser trailer as early as the end of this year, getting fans hyped for what will actually be coming a year later.
