James Cameron 'Confident' That 'Avatar' Sequel Is Releasing In 2021

Prominent filmmaker James Cameron has assured fans that the second film in the “Avatar” franchise will be hitting the theaters as scheduled and will be arriving on its original release date.

The shooting of the movie had to be put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. The crew was all set to shoot in New Zealand, but the government imposed a lockdown to prevent the spread of the disease. But Cameron feels that the way New Zealand managed to fight the disease made him believe that the film will surely be finished on time.

Speaking with Empire, the 65-year-old filmmaker insisted that the nation’s response to the crisis has been phenomenal and would help in finishing their work on time. He further stated that there is a good chance that the movie will be releasing in December 2021.

“On the bright side, New Zealand seems to have been very effective in controlling the virus and their goal is not mitigation, but eradication, which they believe that they can do with aggressive contact tracing and testing. So there’s a very good chance that our shoot might be delayed a couple of months, but we can still do it,” Cameron said.

The news comes months after it was reported that the film’s production has been put on hold due to the life-threatening illness.

John Landau, one of the producers, previously explained that the decision was taken after seeing the worldwide impact of the disease. Landau added that it is a “global crisis” and people should do whatever they can to curb it.

“Avatar 2” will bring back the original stars of the franchise. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang are reportedly reprising their roles. Meanwhile, Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, and Vin Diesel have been added to the cast.

“Avatar 2” is scheduled to hit theaters on Dec. 17, 2021, while “Avatar 3” will make its way to the cinema halls in 2023. “Avatar 4” will be released in 2025 and the last movie of the epic saga will be out in 2027.