With lockdown still in full effect in many countries, the majority of film productions remain on hold until safe practices are worked out amid the Coronavirus pandemic. But it seems the expressway to Pandora is about to be re-opened, with James Cameron’s Avatar sequels due to roll cameras again in the near future in New Zealand. Producer Jon Landau sheared a brand new shot of the set on his Instagram, with a caption confirming that the shoot is ready to pick up again.
“Our Avatar sets are ready – and we couldn’t be more excited to be headed back to New Zealand next week,” he wrote. Speaking to Empire recently for the Celebration Of Cinema issue, Cameron himself opened up about the impact of the pandemic on the sequels. “It's putting a major crimp in our stride here,” he told Empire. “I want to get back to work on Avatar, which right now we're not allowed to do under state emergency laws or rules. So it's all on hold right now.” He also said that he was optimistic due to the way New Zealand has handled the virus, which has proven to be yet another trustworthy James Cameron instinct.
Cameron is shooting more of the live-action part of the sequels, with the extensive post-production largely unaffected by the global health crisis. “We've got everybody – everybody at Weta Digital and Lightstorm – working from home to the extent that that is possible,” he told Empire. “But my work is on the stage doing the virtual cameras and so on, so I can do a bit of editing, but it's not great for me.”
Read more from Empire’s new interview with James Cameron in the Celebration Of Cinema issue, on sale now, with the legendary filmmaker talking through four of the most awe-inspiring sequences from his iconic movies.