There are many film franchises with highly anticipated instalments planned, but one of the biggest remains Avatar 2. The prospect of a sequel to James Cameron’s record-breaking 2009 behemoth, Avatar, has kept fans intrigued for eight years now as the filmmaker’s plans have continued to expand. What began as talk of a second movie has morphed into a masterplan for Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5 – and James Cameron has spent the better part of the last decade building this remarkable upcoming endeavour.
The release date for Avatar 2 has been scheduled as December 21st, 2018 for some time now, which in itself is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, it means the sequel is currently going to be pitted against Animated Spider-Man on that date and, four days later, against an Untitled WB Event Film. Secondly, it means that fans have been increasingly anxious as time moves on with no clear date for principal photography to commence, beyond a passing mention of August by James Cameron. That concern can now be eased, as casting website My Entertainment World has updated its Avatar 2 information to show a shooting start date of August 15th, 2017, at Manhattan Beach.
The excitement around Avatar 2 is a fascinating thing, and centres on the filmography of James Cameron. He wrote, directed, produced and co-edited the first Avatar film and, while it is clearly derivative in terms of plot, it broke new ground in terms of both technological achievement and box office records. The film was designed to be a true hybrid of live-action and CGI, and it made $1 billion in just 19 days. But, it is the fact that James Cameron is motivated to push the boundaries of filmmaking possibilities that makes audiences desperate to see what he will deliver with Avatar 2 and beyond.
The most relevant example that fans cite is the extended gap between 1984’s The Terminator, and 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day – which saw Cameron deliver, not only a film filled with impressive technological advancements, but also a film that built upon the premise of the first outing to create an entire mythos contained in a near-perfect movie. That leap in quality, from a first film to a second, is what many fans are hoping to see with Avatar 2. Now that the start date for shooting is confirmed, the additional hope that Cameron can still meet that December 21st, 2018 release date is still alive.