Given the drip-drip publicity the production has been getting, one could be mistaken for thinking that filming on the Avatar sequels was now well underway. Though preparation for the THREE sequels that James Cameron has announced for the original 2009 epic has been in motion for a long time, actual primary filming hasn't even begun. The films will be shot back-to-back to help with costings and the first sequel (as yet given no subtitle or specific story plot-points) will be released in December 2016 and then at yearly intervals.
It HAS been announced this week that Sigourney Weaver will be returning for the films. Given that.... do we still need spoilers three years on... the character of Grace Augustine fails to make it out of the first film, it has been confirmed that Weaver will be playing a new alien character in the story - maybe connected to Grace's story-arc in the first film? - most likely aided once again by the ground-breaking performance-capture techniques that were such a huge part of the original.
“Sigourney and I have a long creative history, dating back to 1985 when we made Aliens. We're good friends who've always worked well together,so it just feels right that she's coming back for the Avatar sequels," Cameron said in a statement about her return. "We’re both looking forward to this new creative challenge, the latest chapter in our long and continuing collaboration..."
It is believed that given Cameron's interest in aquatic exploration and his desire to further explore the world of Pandora, that the sequels are going to venture into the distant planet's seas and look at the civilisations within it, while Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana reprise their characters. The first film has brought in around $2.8 billion to date.
Weaver has also indicated she may be involved in the proposed new Ghostbusters film, but that remains a longer-term production project.
