Is there a point where studio executives batter down James Cameron's door and demand he actually deliver the Avatar sequels he keeps promising? Probably, but that patience is being further tested as he's announced he's making not three, but four new films.
Taking the stage for a surprise appearance at 20th Century Fox's CinemaCon presentation on Thursday, Cameron admitted that the story spanning the new Avatar movies was such that he had to add an extra one. According to the director, the four follow-ups will have stand-alone plots that nevertheless connect to form one big saga.
“I’ve been working with the top four screenwriters and designers in the world to design the world of Avatar going forward. The environments, new cultures, whatever it takes to life." he said. "From what I’m seeing the art on the wall, in pure imagination is just beyond the first film. I’m speechless." In case you forgot (it's been a while since he announced anything but a release date shift), the writing team includes Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno.
We can expect the first to arrive (probably) in 2018, with the others following in 2020, 2022 and 2023. They're being shot concurrently, which might explain why it's such a mammoth undertaking. Meet us here next year to learn whether the number has been raised to nine sequels arriving every six months sometime in 2032.