Production is back underway ontheAvatarsequelsfollowing the COVID-19 shutdown, and we have photographic proof. Writer/directorJames Cameronhad been towards the tail end of production onAvatar 2andAvatar 3in New Zealand when the worldwide pandemic ground everything to a halt, but thanks to the New Zealand government’s swift action, COVID-19’s impact on the country has been relatively limited. The Disney production got the go-ahead to resume filming, and so Cameron is back behind a very long crane camera in a set photo released by franchise producerJon Landau.
After basically a decade of writing, planning, and developing four newAvatarsequels at once, production finally got underway in September 2017 and Cameron and his team spent much of 2018 doing performance-capture photography forAvatar 2andAvatar 3. In 2019, they moved the production down to New Zealand to begin the live-action filming portion forAvatar 2and3, but judging by this and other set photos, it appears they’ve also been doing some performance-capture work in New Zealand as well.
The story of theAvatarsequels is under wraps, but we do know that at leastAvatar 2will heavily involve going underwater, with Cameron and his team pioneering the ability to do performance-capture with their actors underwater. The story will also focus on a new generation of Na’vi as the initial cast photos revealed a host of children and young performers who had joined the ensemble alongside returning cast membersSam Worthington,Zoe Saldana,Stephen Lang,Giovanni Ribisi,Joel David Moore,CCH Pounder,Matt Gerald, andSigourney Weaver. In terms of new additions,Kate Winslet,Edie Falco,Jemaine Clement,David ThewlisandMichelle Yeohare among the actors playing new characters in the sequels.
The production right now has been mainly focused on gettingAvatar 2andAvatar 3in the can, and then Cameron says ifAvatar 2is a success,they’ll go back and finish up productiononAvatar 4andAvatar 5. The release dates for the sequels have been staggered out by Disney two years apart to allow for time to see how each movie performs before completing the next one. Except forAvatar 2of course, which is scheduled to hit theaters on July 20, 2025—over a decade after the release of Cameron’s worldwide smashAvatar. No pressure.
For more on theAvatarsequels, check outwhat David Thewlis told usabout the “bizarre” filming experience.
