Last we heard, the two planned sequels to James Cameron’s Avatar were due out in 2013 and 2014. However, if today’s news is correct, you might want to hold off on queuing up for tickets anytime soon.
Bleeding Cool caught up with producer Jon Landau after a screening of scenes fromTitanic 3D, and he spilled some very disappointing beans about the sequels to the highest grossing film of all time. According to Landau, the first Avatar sequel is “four years away.”
By that math, we won’t be taking a return trip to the world of Pandora until 2016 (maybe holidays 2015 – that would make sense for a release date as well), which is significantly later than promised. Landau didn’t offer up any reasons for the potential delay, but given that it took Cameron an eternity to make the first film and would be shooting Avatar 2and 3 back-to-back, this isn’t particularly shocking.
Perhaps part of the delay can be attributed to Cameron’s desire to continually push the envelope in terms of technology. Landau says that Avatar 2 will utilize a great deal of advanced filmmaking tech – from the 3D cameras to the motion capture equipment, as well as aiming for a higher framerate than the first feature. While all of that sounds exciting to the tech geeks here on staff, are you happy waiting four more years for a sequel? Let us know below.
Producer Jon Landau Says 'Avatar' Sequels are Still Four Years Away
Rabu, 12 Juni 2013
Avatar' Sequels Delayed, 2014 Release Date Was 'A Bit Optimistic'
The sequel to the biggest movie of all time has been bumped a couple of times now. While the plan of shooting two films back to back is still on track, the release date forAvatar 2 looks like it will be getting bumped out of its 2014 target date.
Producer Jon Landau spoke with Empire where he admitted that the 2014 release date for Avatar 2 was a bit optimistic.
"We're not really naming dates, but I think 2014 will be a tough date for us to make. For us, it's about getting it right. Movies make release dates, release dates don't make movies."
While we can all appreciate Landau and the Avatar crew doing what is necessary to "get it right" bumping Avatar 2 to 2015 means Avatar 3 most likely won't hit theaters until 2016, a date that seems so far into the future.
Landau adds that WETA has already begun working on the sequels, saying, "We have our core team. We're working on underwater performance capture."
It has been widely reported that Avatar 2 will be set under the seas of Pandora, combining two of James Cameron's passions (the sea and movies) as evidenced in this weekend's re-release of Titanic. That been said, Landau says the underwater action won't dominate the movie.
"It's going to be like the Floating Mountains in the first movie. It's not going to be all underwater; it's going to be a place we go to, leave and come back to."
While the film crew is busy creating more eye-popping creatures, look for Avatar 2 and 3to hit theaters sometime in the next 3-5 years.
James Cameron Shooting Three 'Avatar' Sequels Back-To-Back?
James Cameron’s Avatar remains the highest-grossing film in Hollywood history (though Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is catching up … slowly). Avatar sequels are inevitable. But how many sequels do you think Cameron’s ready to deliver?
According to Sigourney Weaver, Cameron could plan to shoot three Avatar movies back-to-back, giving fans Na’vi adventures in Avatar 2, 3 and 4. The actress revealed this bit of information to Showbiz411 while attending a party on behalf of USA Network’s Political Animals, which finds Weaver playing a Hilary Clinton-esque D.C. powerbroker. But the site asked her about her Avatar work, and the time commitment it will take to shoot three movie back-to-back.
"I just show up," the tight-lipped Weaver said. In other words, "In Jim we trust."
Cameron has gone on record in the past as saying he only plans to make Avatar movies for the rest of his career. And at 57, he easily could spend the next 10 years working onAvatar films and retire, content, at 67. Then again, Cameron and every member of his extended family could retire on Titanic royalties. He never needs to work another day in his life, so we should be thrilled that he still has three Avatar stories in his creative tank.
What do you think? Do you want three more adventures in Pandora? Cameron has hinted he’d like to explore new worlds with each new Avatar film, possibly going underwater for part two (which had a 2014 release date but since has been pushed back to 2015, at the earliest). Where would you like to see this franchise go? And how long are you willing to wait for three Avatar sequels to reach thetaers?
While you wait, plan a trip to the strangest Avatar-inspired nightclub we’ve ever seen. It’s called Avastar, and it’s located in South Africa. The club launched on June 1 (with an appearance by special guest David Hasselhoff!), so if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by … and let us know how it goes.
'Avatar' Producer Clarifies James Cameron's Sequel Plans
Avatar rumors have been swirling as James Cameron maps out his plans for the immersive 3D sequels. As we reported weeks ago, Cameron had set up shop in New Zealand to stake out possible locations for his planned Avatar sequels. Then, Showbiz 411 mentioned that Sigourney Weaver was signed on to film not one, not two, but three Avatar sequels back-to-back.
“I just show up,” Weaver told the site, coyly.
Well, over the weekend, Avatar producer Jon Landau – who worked with Cameron on several key projects – clarified Weaver’s statement and laid out the Avatar timeline with a little more clarity.
Landau was speaking with The Courier Post about the upcoming 3D release of Avatar, which they hope will replicate the immersive feeling of exploring Pandora without having to leave our living rooms.
But in the interview, Landau clarified that Cameron is “doing two [movies] back-to-back, but not a third.”
So Avatar 4 isn’t exactly on the director’s radar at the moment. Which makes sense. Cameron is 58. He’d be 60 when Avatar 2 hit theaters in December 2014 (as planned), and 61 when part three follows up in December 2015. Those dates even seem a little presumptuous, given the fact that Cameron hasn’t begun filming and likely has only explored pre-production on the next Avatar films. Will he want to commit to the Herculean task of having to produce a third Avatar sequel after pouring his creative energies into back-to-back features?
We’ll see. If the films make as much as the original – still the highest-grossing film in the world – then Landau and 20th Century Fox will want 10 Avatar sequels. But time will tell how many Pandora stories Cameron has in his tank.
James Cameron Talks 'Avatar' Scripts, Says Sequels Might Go 48 Frames Per Second
James Cameron has been talking up his planned Avatar sequels for some time now, though little movement has been made toward actual pre-production. He’s set up shop in New Zealand, and reportedly is fine-tuning the scripts for back-to-back shootings onAvatar 2 and 3. But while attending the world premiere for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbitearlier, Cameron finally tipped his hand as to when the Avatar train might get rolling again.
Cameron told New Zealand Radio that he wants to be finished tinkering with his screenplays in February, with the intent of lensing the first sequel in late 2013.
"I want to get these scripts nailed down. I don't want to be writing the movie in post production," Cameron said. "We kind of did that on the first picture, I ended up cutting out a lot of scenes and so on and I don't want to do that again."
And while many point to Cameron’s Avatar as the picture that heralded the return of 3D (or, at least, proper use of 3D), the director is hinting that he might use the sequels to continue the advancement of 48 frames-per-second, which Jackson is using on The Hobbit.
"If there is acceptance of 48, then that will pave the way for Avatar (sequels) to take advantage of it," Cameron said to the media. "We charged out ahead on 3D with Avatar, now Peter's doing it with the Hobbit. It takes that kind of bold move to make change.”
But he’ll lie back and see how audiences feel about the visual presentation first. Cameron’s smart.
Either way, the Avatar sequels are coming, likely in 2014 ... and maybe in 48 fps. Are you excited?
'Avatar' Actress Says Sequels Filming Back-To-Back in 2014
Zoe Saldana can proudly claim to be part of some massive movie franchises. She’s about to play Uhura for the second time in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness. She recently signed up to co-star in Marvel’s The Guardians of the Galaxy. And now she’s setting the stage for not one but two Avatar movies, which should begin shooting in 2014.
At least, that’s what the actress said on “The Jonathan Ross Show” (via Digital Spy). Saldana even suggested that James Cameron would film Avatar 2 and 3 back-to-back.
“Because if we just do two and then wait, I'll probably be 45 or 50 by the time we get to part three. It takes a long time, it's a very hard process.”
Of course, Cameron has been teasing these movies for a long time now. Avatar came out in 2009 … back when Sam Worthington was still a movie star. If Cameron starts filming the next Avatar story in 2014, will we see it in theaters before 2016? Could he make a Christmas Day, 2015 release date? As Saldana says, these movie take time.
But if the cast is discussing a shoot schedule, that might mean Cameron has cracked the scripts for parts two and three, as well as the technology needed to complete the vision he has for his return to Pandora.
Zoe Saldana Explains James Cameron's Challenge On 'Avatar' Sequels
Zoe Saldana has found herself in high demand for info on some of the biggest movie franchises today. Not only is she in "Star Trek Into Darkness," which opens in theaters next week, and "Guardians of the Galaxy," one of Marvel's movies for 2014, she will also be at the center of two "Avatar" sequels, as soon as James Cameron finishes the screenplays, that is.
During the press junket for "Star Trek Into Darkness," MTV News' Josh Horowitz spoke with Saldana about how the scripts were coming along and if she knew what Cameron was doing on that New Zealand farm of his.
Read what she had to say after the jump!
"We've emailed, but I know that he's sort of been removing himself from things that might distract him so that he can focus on doing the final tweaks on the scripts," Saldana said. "He did share that he's in a very interesting and fragile place, because he story is dictating itself."
That fragility, Saldana explains, comes from the strength of the first "Avatar" movie. If Cameron hadn't made such strong characters in the original film, he would have an easier time making them do what he wants in the sequel.
"You walk a fine line when you're the creator of the story you're going to tell, of the manipulation that you may have unconsciously of the story and the characters versus allowing the story to unfold it, because you did create such a monumental and solid platform that they're just living and breathing organisms and they're the ones that need to make their own decisions," Saldana said. "I'm geek talking right now, but that's how intense it affects me and how I feel about amazing storytellers like James Cameron and J.J. Abrams. They create things that are real out of unimaginable scenarios, and that is beautiful to me."
"Star Trek Into Darkness" opens in theaters on May 16.
James Cameron teases more ‘Avatar’ movies
Director James Cameron has thrilled “Avatar” fans by committing to at least one more installment of the sci-fi epic following its upcoming sequel
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The Titanic filmmaker has been busy collecting deep sea footage for a second Avatar film, which will be set underwater and released in 2015.
And Cameron reveals he’s decided to stop taking on projects outside of the franchise so he can instead devote his time to producing an additional one or two Avatar movies that carry a hidden message about the fragile state of the world.
He tells The New York Times, “Last year, I basically completely disbanded my production company’s development arm. So I’m not interested in developing anything. I’m in the Avatar business. Period. That’s it. I’m making Avatar 2, Avatar 3, maybe Avatar 4, and I’m not going to produce other people’s movies for them. I’m not interested in taking scripts.
“And that all sounds I suppose a little bit restricted, but the point is, I think within the Avatar landscape, I can say everything I need to say that I think needs to be said, in terms of the state of the world and what I think we need to be doing about it. And doing it in an entertaining way.”
Avatar became the highest-grossing film in movie history in 2009, grossing more than $2.7 billion worldwide.
Cameron previously admitted that he’d hoped the film’s storyline inspired viewers to take better care of Earth’s natural resources before it’s too late
AVATAR Cast – Where Are They Now?
Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) will star as a Texas homicide detective in The Fields with Jessica Chastain playing his wife—another homicide detective working the same killing, blogs Cinema Blend. AusGamers says he's spent some time voicing Captain Alex Mason in the massively successful Call of Duty: Black Ops game andWXYZ reports he pulled down the Australian Film Institute's International Award for Best Actor. Meanwhile,Reel Movie News reports that Worthington will return as Perseus in Wrath of the Titans, the sequel to this year's Clash of the Titans which, while it got just a 28 percent favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes, sold more than enough tickets worldwide to justify a follow-up.
Zoe Saldana (Neytiri) continued in an action-hero vein with 2010's just-okay The Losers, and Tom's Gamesreports she followed Worthington's video-game lead by starring in a Flash game called Zoe Saldana Makeover. She then took some time to strip for a Calvin Klein underwear ad, then headed back to movie work: Zoe Saldana Web has the actress lined up for the back-to-back AVATAR sequels slated for 2014 and 2015 release dates.
Sigourney Weaver (Grace Augustine) will star in Cedar Rapids in 2011, the story of a Midwestern insurance salesman's struggle to save his colleagues' jobs, and is rumored to also have a role in Ghostbusters III for 2012.
Stephen Lang (Col. Quaritch) will play the villain Khalar Zym in the upcoming Conan the Barbarian, andCollider has a nice post-Oscars interview with him in which he discusses filming in Bulgaria with Jason Momoa as Conan.
Michelle Rodriguez (Trudy Chacon) continued appearing in LOST after AVATAR wrapped, and will extend her string of tough-chick roles in 2011's Battle: Los Angeles as a marine technical sergeant. If you want to follow Michelle day to day, see her official Web site (which also streams her Twitter feed).
AVATAR on Earth: Inspirations for Pandora
Cameron also told MTV that growing up in rural Canada and catching anything that moved to study it sparked his interest in the beauty of animals and plants. And thanks to his interest in scuba diving and all things undersea, Cameron is exceptionally well-versed in places and creatures most of us only glimpse in National Geographic.
To see some of those earthly critters, Thewondrous.com has over a dozen side-by-side comparisons of Pandoran fauna and their earthly counterparts—see thanator, think black panther, see helicoradian, thinkChristmas tree worm.
But let's stay focused on landscapes. There's wide agreement that China's Huangshan mountains inspiredAVATAR's Hallelujah Mountains—so savvy tourism officials in Hunan province re-named one of their peaksAVATAR Hallelujah Mountain, blogs DOGONews, while Amusing Planet has some great photos of the spire in question.
The AVATAR Blog posts a photo of someplace on Earth that may have inspired Pandora, but then left us guessing where it is. Luckily io9 reveals it's somewhere in Scotland, which is packed with its own exotic landscapes. Meanwhile Mongabay features a Borneo rainforest photo that's remarkably Pandora-like, especially if you recall the shuttle landing during AVATAR's opening sequence.
Finally, if you thought bioluminescence was just for Pandoran life-forms, Ecorazzi blogs that you should try a night swim in Vieques, Puerto Rico to see how billions of glowing microorganisms light up the night, or head to Angel Falls in Venezuela to see a landscape that looks remarkably like where Jake and Neytiri approach the Banshees.
Ultimate AVATAR Fans
But possibly the most committed fan of AVATAR is IGGY, a.k.a. Mr. AVATAR, of Edmonton, Alberta and a member of this site. He's also known as the AVATAR Tattoo Guy, and with good reason: He has at least eight AVATAR-related tattoos on him, six of which are Neytiri, according toGeekologie. His license plate reads "NEYTIRI" as well, and the back gate of his pickup sports a montage of AVATAR scenes.
Unreality interviewed IGGY—who with his shirt on looks like anyone else you'd see on the street, and is actually named Raymond Knowles—and found that he's seen the movie over 40 times and counting, and isheaded to the gym to sculpt better spaces for future tattoos. That's what total commitment looks like.
Sometimes fandom leaps off the Internet (or your truck) and into society at large, according to Metro: Forestry officials in Hunan Province, China began offering Pandora-themed tours and weddings in the Wulingyuan area, whose peaks inspired AVATAR's Hallelujah Mountains. Unfortunately one of the brides thought the visiting Na'vi (actually forestry workers in costume) were pathetic, according to Digital Spy. Meanwhile, By: Beckett mistakenly thought the two Na'vi in this photo were grooms and wondered where the third woman's husband was.
More Favorite Avatar Movie Quotes
"I told myself I can pass any test a man can pass."—Jake, in voiceover at the start of AVATAR, giving the first hint of the inner toughness that will help him face Pandora's challenges.
"It's my job to keep you alive. I will not succeed. Not with all of you."—Col. Quaritch telling the group of new arrivals (including Jake) that Pandora is an extremely hostile environment.
"You should see your faces!"—Trudy Chacon, flying Jake and Norm on their first tour of the Hallelujah Mountains. Haven't they ever seen million-ton slabs of rock floating in midair before?
"Out there, beyond that fence, every living thing that crawls, flies or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubes."—Col. Quaritch, getting more specific.
"What about this one? Run? Don't run? What?"—Jake, in his avatar body, looking for guidance from Grace. Having just faced down a charging titanothere by standing his ground, Jake turns to find a much more dangerous thanator—and it's ready to pounce.
"Run, definitely run!"—Grace's reply.
"How will I know if he chooses me?"
"He will try to kill you."
"Outstanding."—Jake asking Neytiri how to tell if the ikran (mountain banshee) he's chosen is really his or not. Little does he realize the wrestling match that's about to take place. ...
"Shut up and fly straight!"—Jake to his ikran a few moments later, as he tries to get the hang of communicating with a mountain banshee.
"Today we made a kill, and I ate it. At least I know where that meal came from."
"Other body. You need to take care of this body."—Jake, fresh out of his avatar, being forced to eat packaged food by Grace. [From the extended cut]
"What did happen at the school, Grace?"—Jake, asking why the humans' school for Na'vi was closed. [From the extended cut]
"They set the AMP suit on fire. Driver's toast."—Lyle, describing a Na'vi attack on a mining party. [From the extended cut]
"You're not the only one with a gun, bitch!"—Trudy Chacon, in appropriately Pandoran war paint, as she turns her AT-99 Scorpion gunship against Quaritch's fleet as it attacks Hometree.
"Sometimes your whole life boils down to one insane move."—Jake, just before seeking out a great leonopteryx and becoming toruk makto.
"The aliens went back to their dying home. Only a few were chosen to stay."—Jake in voice-over, as the defeated humans march toward the ship that will take them away from Pandora—for now.
Something Blue: AVATAR Weddings
So have any of these AVATAR-themed weddings taken place stateside? Earlier this year, Daughter of Design wrote about her Avatar-inspired wedding ideas: “Your officiant would ask you to bond hair-to-hair at which time the groom reveals his ‘ponytail’ from the back of his tux jacket and the bride, maybe have a small strand tied under her hair-do that you can easily release and then recite to each other: ‘Oel ngati kameie’…Supplies: For the ponytail you can either go to a wig shop or costume shop and get one of those Manchu queues or use a strand of black rope. Then just fray the tip a bit and spray paint it white at the one end. Then you need to adhere somehow a strong magnet to both ends so that during the bonding ceremony they'll connect.” Okay. Yeah!
More AVATAR Gift ideas
AVATAR: How to Learn Na'vi
Consider that it took many years for Klingon to become popular and well-resourced (the Times of London notes an iPhone app, a language institute and even a Klingon version of Hamlet). Na'vi resources, in contrast, sprang up almost overnight, and today the most popular spot for Na'vi on the Web is Learn Na'vi, which includes links to both a concise Na'vi-English dictionary (PDF but also available as an iPhone app) and Na'vi in a Nutshell (also PDF).
Nutshell can look intimidating at first, but start reading it and you quickly discover some simple distinctions;tsmuk is the word for "sibling," but give it the masculine "an" ending and you get tsmukan or "brother." Similarly, the feminine "e" ending gives you tsmuke or "sister."
Sound good so far? Then you might want to proceed to the Learn Na'vi Forums and especially theIntroductions board, where a remarkably well-organized group will get you started reading, writing and speaking Na'vi. There's even an activity book (PDF).
Speaking of speaking, you can begin listening to the language now at Tirea Radio as an aid to your practice, including chats among Tirea members, spoken-words by Paul Frommer, and music from the film. For a 16-second clip of Na'vi dialogue that centers on encountering a giant carnivorous plant, see the New York Times.
As they say on Pandora, Ke zene win säpivi. ’Ivong nìk’ong—Take your time, don't rush; slow is fine.
AVATAR vs. Tron – How they Stack Up
Last year’s big 3D movie with fans was AVATAR—this year some are saying it’s Tron: Legacy. There’s actually a Tron vs. AVATAR website: “We want to encourage TRON fans everywhere to watch TRON Legacy more times than they saw AVATAR. So if you saw AVATAR once, see TRON Legacy twice. If you saw AVATARfour times, see TRON five times.” Well, how do the films stack up? LA Weekly presents an infographic pitting the two against each other. Cinedork.com says that Tron’s visuals are better: “Unlike AVATAR where every shot was made specifically for you to drool over, Tron’s visuals are much more intelligent and sophisticated and aid to the dark story tone throughout the film… Move over James Cameron, Disney kicked your **s in originality and visuals and dare I say… 3D.” The Moviefone Blog compares the films by story, characters, and 3D technology, and finds that the winner is… “AVATAR is the better moviegoing experience, and the better movie.”Best DVD Movie Releases of 2010
NextMovie places the AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition at #7 on its Best DVDs lists, saying it “blows away the barebones versions released earlier this year.” The AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition also makes FILMDetail’s top list. And Television Without Pity writes of the AVATAR Extended Collector’s Edition, which is a part of their Holiday Guide, “You'll know who needs this new, extended edition of AVATAR--it's the person silently weeping while holding their hastily purchased bare-bones AVATAR DVD from a few months ago. Spare them a second trip to the store, and the shame.”
AVATAR Name Generators: Find Your Real Na'vi Name
There are two kinds of generators, the random kind and the non-random kind. Rum + Monkeyhas one of the random ones, the Na'vi Name Generator; type in a name like "Paul," enter your gender (Tutean = male while Tutee = female), and the will of Eywa generates the appropriately AVATAR-ish name Tsyal. But the name is linked to its meaning; "Paul" means "small" and if you enter "small," you get Tsyal as well. (See theBabyNameAddicts site to figure out your name's meaning.)
The names are definitely Na'vi-sounding but the assignments are fairly random, rather than Pig Latin plays on people's names; witness that "Obama" becomes Bakteyo and "Bush" becomes Tzmukan. Exception: "Cameron" becomes Taronyu (that's "hunter" to us English-speakers).
This name generator wasn't good enough for Omatikaya, a.k.a. artist Carolyn Rogers, who created the Better Na'vi Name Generator. (It's also hosted on Rum + Monkey—that's the business R+M is in, they're the name-generator generator.) Now when you type in "Paul" you get Aka'ula, which is cooler-sounding if only because it has an exotic-sounding glottal stop.
Neither of these name generators gels yet with the Concise Na'vi Dictionary (PDF here) at Learn Na'vi, which seems pretty authoritative considering they're pushing a Learn Na'vi app. For instance, look up hufwe (Na'vi for wind) in the dictionary, enter "wind" in either name generator above, and you get back either Wor'itan or Adhiguna.
The bottom line is that these are great idea generators without necessarily being ready to translate at a United Nations level of accuracy. Have fun!
