UPDATE (1/22/16): According to Slashfilm, the first Avatar sequel will not make its 2017 release date. Although it wasn’t official, James Cameron had acknowledged that as his targeted date only mere weeks ago. What’s also interesting is that Disney just announced that Star Wars Episode VIII was being pushed back to December 2017, begging the question did Disney know about the delays or were they just calling Cameron’s bluff? Either way, our headline seems even more relevant.
Meanwhile, Pandora: The World of Avatar is still supposed to open at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2017 — sequels or not.
PREVIOUSLY (12/12/15):
Six years after Avatar became a worldwide phenomenon, breaking a multitude of box office records on its way to a nearly $2.8 billion gross, director James Cameron has given an update on his long lingering sequel plans.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Cameron is still working on rewrites for his Avatar 2, 3 and 4 scripts. He also told EW that crafting the sequels has proven difficult given the massive success of the original, saying, “Obviously, expectations are going to be very high on these films, especially on Avatar 2, to make sure it wasn’t just some big fluke the first time. So we’ve got to deliver. I’ve created a nice rod for my own back, so they say.” Cameron’s concerns about the sequels seem justified since a lot of ink was spilled last year regarding the cultural impact (or lack thereof) the film has had since its release.
The sequels have gone through many projected release date changes, but the second film in the proposed quadrilogy (at least) is still slated for 2017. As much as Fox is anxiously awaiting the films, Disney is as well — Pandora: The World of AVATAR is also expected to open sometime in 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
