Moviefone Editorial

Tag: avatar-sequels

  • Jemaine Clement Joins ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    Jemaine Clement Joins ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    FX

    Pandora is welcoming another new resident: Jemaine Clement.

    Clement, co-creator of “Flight of the Conchords” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows,” is joining the “Avatar” sequels as the marine biologist Dr. Ian Garvin.

    Director James Cameron said, “I’ve loved Jemaine’s work for years and I’m really pumped that he’s joining our cast as Ian Garvin, one of my favorite characters.”

    Clement joins franchise newcomers Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, and Edie Falco, as well as returning stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver.

    Disney recently pushed back the “Avatar” sequels. “Avatar 2” is slated for release December 17, 2021. The third, fourth, and fifth installments hit theaters every other December after that.

  • Michelle Yeoh Joins ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    Michelle Yeoh Joins ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    Paramount/CBS

    The upcoming “Avatar” sequels are currently in the midst of shooting, but the cast is continuing to expand: Actress Michelle Yeoh has joined the ensemble.

    Writer-director James Cameron announced Yeoh’s addition on Monday, revealing that the actress will be playing a scientist character named Dr. Karina Mogue. It’s unclear how big the role is, or how many of the four follow-up films she will appear in, though Cameron’s statement seemed to suggest that Yeoh will star in all of them.

    “Throughout her career, Michelle has always created unique and memorable characters,” Cameron’s statement said. “I look forward to working with Michelle to do the same thing on the ‘Avatar’ sequels.”

    Yeoh has been busy recently, coming off last year’s hit rom-com “Crazy Rich Asians,” and next set to star in her own “Star Trek” spinoff series. The actress will reprise her “Star Trek Discovery” character,  Capt. Philippa Georgiou, for the show.

    In addition to Yeoh, Edie Falco has also joined the “Avatar” sequels, playing a general. Vin Diesel is rumored to have a role as well.

    If all goes according to plan, the first “Avatar” follow-up will hit theaters on December 18, 2020. The next three films are then scheduled for release in 2021, 2024, and 2025.

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter]

  • Is Vin Diesel Joining the ‘Avatar’ Sequels?

    Is Vin Diesel Joining the ‘Avatar’ Sequels?

    Universal Pictures

    Is Vin Diesel journeying to Pandora? The “Fast and Furious” kingpin may be joining James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequels.

    In an Instagram video, Diesel and Cameron greeted fans from the set of the sequels.

    “Ok, so here we are on the set of Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5. This is top secret, this is like the Manhattan Project,” Cameron says.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv0Mu2tHtBo/?utm_source=ig_embed

    “[I’m] with my ol’ buddy, Vin and we’re actually gonna give him the flashy thing from Men in Black when he leaves here, so he has no memory whatsoever of what he’s seen because he cannot carry the tale.”

    Diesel responds by gushing about Cameron as a director he has long wanted to work with.

    “It’s long overdue. There is one person in Hollywood I’ve always wanted to work with, and learn from,” he says. “All things come, I guess, to those who wait.

    If Diesel is joining the cast, he’ll work opposite returning “Avatar” stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver, as well as newcomers Kate Winslet and Edie Falco.

    Then again, it’s possible that Diesel and Cameron are just buddies and Diesel really is just there to observe the director at work. With so little known about the “Avatar” movies, it’s anybody’s guess.

  • Edie Falco Joins ‘Avatar’ Sequels as a General

    Netflix

    Edie Falco has just booked a ticket to Pandora. The Emmy-winning actress is joining the cast of James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequels.

    Filming has already begun on the sequels, which will kick off with “Avatar 2,” slated to open Dec. 18, 2020.

    Falco will play General Ardmore, a commander overseeing the interest of the RDA, the mega corporation with exclusive rights to Pandora and any off-Earth locations.

    Falco is the only woman to ever win the Best Actress Emmy in both the comedy and drama categories.

    She joins fellow “Avatar” newcomer Kate Winslet, as well as returning stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Sigourney Weaver.

    Details of the sequels’ plots remain unknown. But the end of the 2009 flagship film, Jake (Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana) help the Na’vi rebel against the RDA and drive them from the planet. With Falco’s casting, it seems likely the RDA will return to attempt to take back what they consider theirs.

    After “Avatar 2,” “Avatar 3” is slated for Dec. 17, 2021; “Avatar 4” on Dec. 20, 2024; and finally “Avatar 5” on Dec. 19, 2025.

  • Sigourney Weaver Says ‘Avatar 2’ and ‘Avatar 3’ are Done, Reveals More Sequel Details

    Sigourney Weaver Says ‘Avatar 2’ and ‘Avatar 3’ are Done, Reveals More Sequel Details

    20th Century Fox

    We still have more than two years before the first of four planned “Avatar” sequels is set to hit theaters, but according to star Sigourney Weaver, half of those films have finished shooting. And what little the actress can reveal about them so far should certainly pique fans’ interest.

    In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Weaver chatted about the status of the follow-ups, which are in the midst of an ambitious — and unprecedented — back-to-back-to-back-to-back shooting schedule, led by writer-director James Cameron. The actress told THR that she “just finished shooting two and three,” referring to “Avatar 2” and “Avatar 3” (whose names we assume will change as their release dates approach), and is now working on “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5.”

    Cameron has already stated that the production will be using the most revolutionary filmmaking technology currently available, and that will be implemented in part while shooting underwater scenes. According to Weaver, she “learned how to free dive” for the films, and “did many scenes underwater which was challenging and kind of cool.”

    That setting is a key piece of the “Avatar” sequels’ puzzle, the actress told THR, and “the water becomes another world.” All told, each film is its own story, but the four features unite to become “a big saga.”

    “They’re amazing,” Weaver gushed to THR, echoing previous comments she made about the long-awaited follow-ups to the 2009 original. “There’s a message to not sacrifice everything for greed and conquest. It will take all four movies to really make that message loud and clear for the whole world.”

    It certainly sounds like “Avatars 2-5” will follow in the first film’s footsteps in that regard. Now, the only thing that remains to be seen is whether or not they meet their current release dates.

    As it stands, “Avatar 2″is set to premiere on December 18, 2020, followed by “Avatar 3” on December 17, 2021, “Avatar 4” on December 20, 2024, and “Avatar 5” on December 19, 2025.

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter, h/t Screen Crush]

  • James Cameron Hopes Fans Soon ‘Start Getting Avenger Fatigue’  

    James Cameron is already tired of the “Avengers: Infinity War” hype train. Maybe you agree. Maybe not.

    Cameron has had phenomenal success as a blockbuster writer/director/producer. From sci-fi (“Aliens,” “Avatar,” “The Abyss,” “Terminator”) to disaster (“Titanic”) and straight-up action “(True Lies”), he has had the formula for success for years.

    But that was a long time ago, at least to him, and he kinda comes across as a bit … jealous? bitter? .. in a new talk with reporters (via IndieWire):

    “I’m hoping we’ll start getting ‘Avenger’ fatigue here pretty soon. Not that I don’t love the movies. It’s just, come on guys, there are other stories to tell besides hypogonadal males without families doing death-defying things for two hours and wrecking cities in the process. It’s like, oy!”

    You mean like in the “Terminator” movies?

    He was probably just joking around, but between this and his “Wonder Woman” comments, it sounds like he’s the frustrated kid on the sidelines judging all the players currently in the game.

    It’s strange to hear him say “fatigue” when he is working on four “Avatar” sequels, and also producing the sixth “Terminator” film in the franchise.

    Cameron compared the “Avatar” sequels to “The Godfather” as “a generational family saga”:

    “I’ve found myself as a father of five starting to think about what would an ‘Avatar’ story be like if it was a family drama. What if it was ‘The Godfather’? It’s a generational family saga. That’s very different than the first film. There’s still the same setting and the same respect for the shock of the new. We still want to show you things that you haven’t even seen or imagined, but the story is very different. It’s a continuation of the same characters… but what happens when warriors who are willing to go on suicide charges and leap off cliffs, what happens when they grow up and have their own kids? It becomes a very different story.”

    Maybe that’s why he made his comment about “hypogonadal males without families” — because he’s a dad now, thinking in Dad Zone and — what? Fans should be tired of stories that don’t reflect where he is right now?

    Anyway, he’s still a sci-fi master and had more to say on that if you’d like to read about it. Or you can just watch “AMC Visionaries: James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction,” the six-part docuseries that premieres Monday, April 30.

    Cameron is producing “Terminator 6” — a direct sequel to his films “The Terminator” and Terminator 2: Judgment Day” — scheduled for release November 22, 2019.

    “Avatar 2” is currently slated to open on December 18, 2020, with “Avatar 3” opening on December 17, 2021, “Avatar 4” opening on December 20, 2024, and “Avatar 5” opening on December 19, 2025.

    After “Avengers: Infinity War” opens this Friday, “Avengers 4” is coming May 3, 2019.

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  • Kate Winslet Joins ‘Avatar’ Sequels for ‘Titanic’ Reunion With James Cameron

    Director James Cameron(C) and actress Kate WinsletNow please sign Leonardo DiCaprio so our ’90s hearts can go on and on.

    Kate Winslet is following her “Titanic” director James Cameron into the “Avatar” world, Deadline reports, despite Winslet and Cameron maybe not having the best relationship when they made that other top-grossing film. No matter. It’s been since 1997 so time probably healed any wounds.

    Winslet will star as someone called Ronal in the “Avatar” sequels — it’s not clear how many.

    “Kate and I have been looking for something to do together for 20 years, since our collaboration on ‘Titanic,’ which was one of the most rewarding of my career,” Cameron said, via Deadline. “I can’t wait to see her bring the character of Ronal to life.”

    The first “Avatar” film came out in 2009 and became the highest-grossing movie of all time. There are four “Avatar” movies now in production, at a cost of $1 billion. Fans recently got a first look at the young “Avatar 2” stars who’ll be playing Jake Sully’s (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldana) children, along with kids from another Na’vi clan.

    “Avatar 2” is scheduled for release on Dec. 18, 2020. “Avatar 3” will come out in 2021, followed by “Avatar 4” in 2024, and “Avatar 5” in 2025. Let’s hope the world survives that long!

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  • ‘Avatar’ Multiplayer Game Will (Probably) Be Out Before Sequels

    AvatarThose “Avatar” sequels are taking so long to happen, we’ll probably see a new “Avatar” multiplayer game first.

    FoxNext president Salil Mehta tells THR, “We are evaluating rollout but believe [the game] will come out before the sequels. It’s an incredible way for many global fans to experience the world of Pandora.”

    This news comes as a result of FoxNext, a division of 21st Century Fox division, acquiring mobile game developer Aftershock. Aftershock was already working with Fox and James Cameron‘s Lightstorm Entertainment on a multiplayer mobile strategy game based on the 2009 blockbuster.

    Other upcoming FoxNext movie-based games: a “Planet of the Apes”-themed experience tied to “War for the Planet of the Apes,” and a multiplayer VR game based on the “Alien” franchise.

    Last we heard, those long-in-the-works “Avatar” sequels are scheduled for December 18, 2020, December 17, 2021, December 20, 2024 and December 19, 2025.

    Cameron told CNN earlier this year that he’s not worried about flagging interest after such a long delay: “It was a seven year gap between ‘The Terminator’ and ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day,’ seven year gap between ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens.’ It’s gonna be obviously more like a ten year gap between ‘Avatar’ and ‘Avatar 2.‘ But ‘Avatar 2’ you are going to with not the promise, but the certainty of three more films beyond that, and that’s a very different concept with the audience. And a lot of the delay has been around creating that overall vision.”

    In the meantime, if you’re craving a Pandora fix, you can visit the newly opened “Pandora — The World of Avatar” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park in Orlando, Florida.

  • Here Are Release Dates for ‘Deadpool 2,’ ‘Avatar’ Sequels, More ‘X-Men’ Movies

    Break out your blockbuster calendar, ’cause 20th Century Fox just booked your life for the next few years.

    The studio spent the weekend announcing release dates for several upcoming films, including four — yes, four — “Avatar” sequels; “Deadpool 2”; the “X-Men” sequel “Dark Phoenix” with Sophie Turner’s Jean Grey, the “X-Men” spinoff “New Mutants,” Steven Spielberg’s Pentagon Papers film with Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks; Bryan Singer’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”; and Steve McQueen’s heist film “Widows.”

    Schedule yourself accordingly:

    • “New Mutants”: April 13, 2018
    • “Deadpool 2”: June 1, 2018
    • “Dark Phoenix”: Nov. 2., 2018
    • “Widows”: Nov. 16, 2018
    • Steven Spielberg’s untitled Washington Post/Pentagon Papers film: Dec. 22, 2017.
    • “Bohemian Rhapsody”: Dec. 25, 2018

    AVATAR SEQUELS

    Dates for James Cameron’s FOUR “Avatar” sequels were announced on Facebook:

    • “Avatar 2”: December 18, 2020
    • “Avatar 3”: December 17, 2021
    • “Avatar 4”: December 20, 2024
    • “Avatar 5”: December 19, 2025

    Some previously announced films were also moved around on the schedule:

    • “Murder on the Orient Express” was moved from Nov. 22, 2017 to Nov. 10, 2017.

    • Jennifer Lawrence’s “The Red Sparrow” was moved from Nov. 10, 2017 to March 2, 2018

    • “The Predator” was moved from Feb. 9, 2018 to Aug. 3., 2018.

    • Fox also pushed The Predator from February 2018 to August 3, 2018.

    [via: The Hollywood Reporter, io9]

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  • 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