James Cameron Offers Avatar Sequels Update

James Cameron has today offered an update on his plans for a trio of Avatar sequels

James Cameron has today offered EW an update regarding his plans for the future of the Avatar franchise. As previously revealed, a trilogy of Avatar sequels is on the way with Avatar 2 expected to tentatively hit the big screen in 2017.

“I’m in the process of doing another pass through all three scripts right now,” Cameron says of the Avatar sequels’ current status. “Just refining. That’s in parallel with the design process. The design process is very mature at this point. We’ve been designing for about a year and a half. All the characters, settings and creatures are all pretty much [set].”

Confirmed to feature the return of cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver, Avatar 2 and two additional Avatar sequels will be produced by Cameron and Jon Landau through their Lightstorm Entertainment. The sequels are currently being written by Cameron along with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman, and Shane Salerno. 

The original 2009 Avatar remains the top grossing movie of all time with $2.782 billion at the worldwide box office. Living up to that impressive feat with the new Avatar sequels ​is a daunting task, but Cameron doesn’t seem to mind.

“[Y]ou have to challenge yourself,” he says. “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.”

The Avatar sequels aren’t the only chance fans will have to return to the world of Pandora. There’s an Avatar Land headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2017, while Dark Horse Comics will soon begin publishing officially licensed Avatar stories.

Are you looking forward to the Avatar sequels? Let us know in the comments below!