James Cameron's "Avatar 2" has been pushed back several times now, but only to insure that the next release will be at par with the first one in terms of quality, if not exceed it. The "Avatar 2" release date has been moved from 2017 to 2018, but actress Sigourney Weaver doubts the movie will be completed by then.
"Avatar 2" is still in pre-production. Although the script is said to have already been completed, filming for the movie has not started yet. If the 2018 release date pushes through, Cameron and the team would only have two years to finish the entire film. Given that the director is very meticulous, it is unlikely a film as big as "Avatar 2" would be done in two years.
Speaking to Variety, Cameron said that the release date will be moved if necessary. "The important thing for me is not when the first one comes out but the cadence of the release pattern," Cameron shares. "I want them to be released as close together as possible. If it's an annual appointment to show up at Christmas, I want to make sure that we're able to fulfill on that promise."
As to the development of the film, Weaver reveals that they have not begun filming yet, but they have been given copies of the scripts. "We haven't started it, so I don't know how realistic that date is, but I think it's going to be very exciting," Weaver told The Hollywood Reporter about the 2018 release date.
She also revealed that she read three of the four scripts for the sequel, and that they were "even more extraordinary than the first one."
Weaver will appear in all the subsequent "Avatar" sequels, but she will not play her original role as Dr. Grace Augustine. Stephen Lang, whose character also died in "Avatar," will also return in the sequels. "Avatar 2" is just one of the four "Avatar" sequels James Cameron has in store for the fans of the sci-fi fantasy epic. The three other films have a tentative release date of 2020, 2022 and 2023.
"Avatar 2" has a tentative release date of Dec. 21, 2018.