Things may have seemed a bit quiet on the Avatar front recently, but James Cameron is not one to just sit on his laurels and do nothing. Lucky sci-fi fans got the latest scoop on the Avatar franchise from Cameron during an AMA session (Ask Me Anything Q&A) on Reddit last Saturday.
The acclaimed director finally revealed that the scripts for Avatar 2, 3 AND 4 are set to be completed within the next six weeks. For the first film, Cameron worked on the script by himself, but he’s since enlisted the help of screenwriters Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Shane Salerno on the upcoming sequels, presumably to lessen the manic load.
“The second, third and fourth films all go into production simultaneously,” he wrote. “They’re essentially all in pre-production now because we are designing creatures, settings and characters that span all three films. And we should be finished with all three scripts within the next, I would say, six weeks.”
Personally, I feel it may have made more sense to stagger the production of the three sequels so each could be given the treatment they deserve, but who am I to argue with the man’s game plan? Cameron has done pretty well for himself so far in the box office stakes.
Cameron also discussed the future of 3D, a format that has had its share of ups and downs since Avatar first showed the mediums true potential in 2010.
“I believe all movies should be made in 3D, forever, but the projection needs to be better and brighter,” he wrote. “I want people to see in the movie theaters what I am seeing in my perfectly calibrated screening room and people aren’t seeing that. Larger formats. I’d love to see screens get bigger.
Speaking of bigger, Cameron’s favorite muscle bound actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had previously been rumored to appear as a villain in the next Avatar movie, but unfortunately, this was shot down during the AMA session.
“As of right now, he and I have not discussed it, and I don’t see a role as the scripts are coming together that would be appropriate for him, so I would say probably not.”
The first Avatar grossed $2.8 billion worldwide and won Oscars for cinematography, visual effects and art direction back in 2010. Cameron is definitely not going to rush these films out as he knows exactly how much is riding on their success so things are looking promising at the moment, although it’s hard to tell whether they will live up to the success of the original. For those who haven’t seen Avatar in a while or just for anyone who was a little more skeptical about its message, enjoy this ‘Honest Trailer’ of the first movie.
Production on Avatar 2 is scheduled to begin this fall with a hopeful release some time in 2016. Presumably, the sequels will follow… at some point. Don’t ask me when.
