James Cameron Announces Plans For Four More ‘Avatar’ Movies

Director James Cameron announced Thursday that he has plans for four more Avatar films.

‘Avatar’ Sequels

Following the success of the original Avatar in 2009, a sequel was expected, and Cameron later promised two – then three. And now, Cameron has realized that they have so much rich material set in the fictional world of Pandora that no fewer than four follow-up films will do.

“We have decided to embark on a truly massive cinematic project, making four epic films, each of which stands alone but together forms a complete saga,” Cameron said at CinemaCon, according to Variety. “It’s going to be a true epic saga that’s told in this rich and complex world.

Cameron suggested that the sequels will surpass the ingenuity of the first, saying, “So far, what I am seeing in pure imagination is far beyond the first film.” He also added that the few people who have seen the concepts for the forthcoming epics have been left “speechless.”

Back in 2014, Cameron announced that Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington would be returning for the Avatar sequels.

“[Worthington’s] Jake Sully is a rare combination of passion, strength, street smarts and soul, which requires a lot from an actor,” Cameron said. “Zoe captured every aspect of the character I envisioned, bringing to Neytiri a mix of delicacy, fierceness and incredible physicality. I am beyond pleased they’ll be returning with us to Pandora.”

Also returning for the sequels will be Stephen Lang, who played Miles Quaritch in the original. In the 2009 epic, Miles Quaritch died, so it’s unknown how the writers will be working him back into the franchise. Sigourney Weaver will likewise be reprising her role as Grace Augustine.

It is expected that the first sequel will hit theaters in the holiday season of 2018, followed by the rest of the installments in 2020, 2022 and 2023.