Moviefone Editorial

Tag: avatar-sequel

  • Sigourney Weaver Says the ‘Avatar’ Sequels are ‘More Amazing’ Than the Original

    30th Annual American Cinematheque Awards Gala - ArrivalsWe haven’t heard much from writer-director James Cameron since he announced that the long-delayed “Avatar” sequels would be four films instead of three. And while there still isn’t much intel to go on, actress Sigourney Weaver has promised fans that the flicks will be worth the (seemingly never-ending) wait.

    In an interview with Variety, Weaver chatted about several of her upcoming projects, including those four much-discussed — but still quite mysterious — sequels, which the actress described as “looming” over her. While the sci-fi veteran didn’t elaborate on what that meant in terms of a shooting schedule, she did say that she’s seen three of the four the screenplays (in what stage of completion is unclear), and had nothing but praise for the stories that awaited filmgoers.

    “In my opinion, the three scripts I’ve read so far are many times more amazing than the first one in terms of their scope,” Weaver told Variety. “[Cameron] did a lot of the heavy lifting in the first movie, establishing the family and the relationships and the world, and now he really gets to play.”

    According to the trade, the four sequels will be “a family saga,” though what exactly that means is anyone”s guess. It does give us some hope, though, that Cameron is on track to finally begin production on these new films, after the plan for the sequels was changed from two films, to three, to four, and the release date for the first follow-up shifted from 2014 to 2016 to 2017, to the new tentative schedule: “Avatar 2,” “Avatar 3,” “Avatar 4,” and “Avatar 5” are currently slated to hit theaters around Christmastime in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

    Stay tuned to see if the plan changes again. Based on everything that’s happened so far, we wouldn’t be surprised by anything at this point.

    [via: Variety]

    Photo credit: Getty Images

  • Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Avatar’ Prequel Hints at the Sequels

    TORUK - The First Flight In ConcertThere is still a long wait before James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequels start hitting theaters, but in the meantime, the director has revealed that fans will get an idea of some of the elements to expect thanks to the Cirque du Soleil prequel, “Toruk.”

    Opening Wednesday in New York, “Toruk” brings Cameron’s epic sci-fi world to stage. It may not have Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, or Sigourney Weaver, but it does boast incredible sets, choreography, and acrobatics. On top of that, there are elements that will pop up again in the film series.

    “We’ve got most of the sequel stuff already designed, but I like this idea of weaving back and forth between the two worlds, the live world and the film world,” Cameron told Variety.

    While the filmmaker revealed that the storyline doesn’t connect directly to the sequels — which follow Jake, Neytiri, and their children — there are still similarities.

    “Thematically, ‘Toruk’ manages to land very very closely to the feeling of where the sequel stories are going,” he said.

    Cameron didn’t write or direct “Toruk” himself, but he did serve as a consultant to ensure that the production fit with his vision for the franchise. Instead, writer-directors Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon took over, and what they came up with was the story of two Na’vi warriors looking for sacred objects.

    The film sequels are still coming, of course. The first is currently slated to open in theaters around Christmas 2018, and the others are expected to follow in regular increments thereafter.

    [via: Variety]

  • James Cameron Claims There Will Be Four ‘Avatar’ Sequels Now, and They Have (Alleged) Release Dates

    There’s no denying the success of “Avatar,” James Cameron’s groundbreaking 2009 blockbuster, which still holds the record as the highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide, with a whopping $2.79 billion in the bank. But its long-planned sequels have been anything but successful so far: An ambitious shooting schedule has still not begun; the initially promised two follow-ups suddenly morphed into three; and the films’ planned release dates have all been pushed back multiple times, before being abandoned altogether.

    Will these films ever see the light of day? (Or better yet, even begin production at all?) Cameron still claims the answer is yes, and has revealed that he’s now adding a fourth sequel to the mix.

    Cameron’s surprising announcement came on Thursday during a panel at CinemaCon, in which the director proclaimed that the four flicks — “Avatar 2,” “Avatar 3,” “Avatar 4,” and “Avatar 5” — would be hitting theaters around Christmastime in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

    “We’re making four epic films, each one of which stands alone but together form a complete saga,” Cameron told the crowd, adding that it became clear after beginning work on the first two sequels that there was a larger tale to be told.

    “There is too much story and visionary ideas for two sequels,” the writer-director explained. “So we talked to Fox and expanded it to three sequels. Now that the script work is finishing up, it’s not three. It looks like four. So after talking it through with our partners at Fox and giving it a lot of thought, we decided to embark on a truly massive cinematic project.”

    Massive is certainly the right word for it. But can anyone believe Cameron at this point? Sure, the director took his time making “Avatar,” his eagerly-awaited follow-up to 1997’s “Titanic” which needed 12 years to materialize. But that flick eventually actually started production, and actually was released.

    In the sequels’ case, the first follow-up was tentatively scheduled to hit theaters in late 2016, before moving to late 2017, and then moving off the schedule entirely. (That was after a third flick was added to the mix; back in 2012, when there were still only two planned sequels, “Avatar 2” was optimistically slated for release sometime in 2014.) And the last update on the project noted that production (set for back-to-back-to-back shooting in New Zealand — perhaps now back-to-back-to-back-to-back?) still hadn’t begun. So forgive us if we remain more than a little skeptical at this point.

    Stay tuned to see if this ambitious plan pans out. We suppose if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s Cameron. Just don’t be surprised if those release dates change yet again — or if “Avatar 6” is announced soon after.

    [via: WSJ Speakeasy]

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  • ‘Avatar 2’ Delayed Again, Won’t Make Christmas 2017 Release Date

    The upcoming trio of sequels to James Cameron’s “Avatar” have been delayed yet again, with news that “Avatar 2” will not make its scheduled 2017 release date as planned.

    TheWrap reports that the planned Christmas 2017 release has officially been pushed, as Cameron continues prepping for the daunting shoot, which was to have taken place back-to-back-to-back to accommodate for releasing one film in each of three consecutive years. No new release date for “Avatar 2” has been announced yet.

    This is the second time that the sequels have had to adjust their release schedule: “Avatar 2” was originally slated to hit theaters in December 2016, with “Avatar 3” and “Avatar 4” following in 2017 and 2018. After the first delay, that schedule was amended to 2017, 2018, and 2019.

    According to TheWrap, Cameron remains committed to his ambitious shooting plan, and still intends to film the entire trilogy of sequels in one swoop in New Zealand. “Soundstage construction and some computer animation work is in the early stages, but a start date for filming has not been set,” the site says.

    The original “Avatar,” released in 2009, remains the world’s highest-grossing flick internationally, and it looks unlikely that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will overtake its daunting $2.8 billion haul. The only real challengers, it seems, are the “Avatar” sequels themselves; it remains to be seen, however, just when they’ll make their long-awaited debut.

    Stay tuned.

    [via: TheWrap]

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