Sigourney Weaver teases 'very good reason' for making four Avatar sequels

By Adam Poltrack July 14, 2017

Back in 2009, James Cameron’s Avatar thrilled audiences with pioneering 3-D technology, which helped to bring the sprawling, spectacular, alien world of Pandora to life. Almost immediately after the film released, we started hearing rumblings about a sequel, but here we are, almost eight years later, and still no Avatar 2.

That said, a follow-up is still very much in the works. Correction: Four follow-ups are still very much in the works. Cameron & Co. released the release dates for the films just a few months ago and they’re expected as follows: Avatar 2 (2020), Avatar 3, (2021) Avatar 4 (2024), and Avatar 5 (2025). If you’re thinking that four sequels sounds like overkill, you’re certainly not alone. In a recent interview, however, actress Sigourney Weaver sought to explain that five films is — not too many, not too few — just right.

Related Videos

As reported by ScreenCrush, Weaver says there is a “very good reason” to make four more Avatar films. If you’re thinking “yea, billions of dollars,” again, you’re not alone — but that’s not what the actress has in mind. Here’s a bit of what she had to say:

“There’s a very good reason why it turned out to be four sequels … Having read all four of them, I think they’re absolutely extraordinary and worth the wait.” In other words: “Trust James Cameron, this is going to be epic.”

Additionally, Weaver seems to be making news by revealing that there are, in fact, four full scripts for the four expected sequels, perhaps making it more likely that the director’s full vision will come to fruition.

Weaver also said we can expect the franchise to continue along the same arc it established with the first film and tell a story about “the peril of this beautiful planet [Pandora]” in addition to the, “… greed and callousness of the corporations and plight of the indigenous people.”

While 2020, 2021, 2024, and 2025 are all a long way away, we can’t help but daydream about the new corners of Pandora the sequels will introduce us to, and the as-of-yet uninvented technologies they may use to explore them.

Until then, stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated on any and all Avatar news.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Entertainment

Avatar: The Way of Water trailer will premiere next week

The original Avatar came out in 2009 and revolutionized 3D movies on its way to becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. Director James Cameron hasn't exactly been in a hurry to send moviegoers back to Pandora in Avatar 2. But the wait is almost over. The first footage from the sequel was unveiled today at CinemaCon, and with it came a new title: Avatar: The Way of Water.

Fans who weren't in attendance at CinemaCon are going to have to wait until Friday, May 6, to see the first trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water, which will be attached to Marvel's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It's a very slick move by Disney to pair that trailer up with one of its most-anticipated movies of the year. The Hollywood Reporter notes that attendees at CinemaCon were wowed by the early footage of Jake and his wife, Neytiri, with their family on Pandora. The ocean was the primary focus of these clips, both above and below the waves. The flying Toruks from the first film made their return, and the video offered a glimpse of "whale-like creatures."

Entertainment

James Cameron’s sci-fi epic Avatar joins the Disney+ launch lineup

Disney's $71.3 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox's deep and eclectic catalog is beginning to bear fruit. In a press release, Disney announced that Avatar, James Cameron's high-tech, sci-fi adventure film, will be available on Disney+ in the United States, Canada, and The Netherlands on November 12, which just happens to be the streaming service's debut day.

Avatar wasn't one of the 600 or so titles originally unveiled as part of the Disney+ launch lineup, and wasn't featured in Disney's three-plus hour preview of (almost) every movie and TV show hitting Disney+ on the 12th. However, it's clear why Disney would want to reintroduce audiences to the world of Pandora as soon as possible: James Cameron is currently working on not one, not two, not three, but four Avatar sequels, all of which will debut under the Disney brand. The first Avatar sequel is scheduled to arrive in 2021.

Entertainment

‘Titanic’ star Kate Winslet will reunite with James Cameron for ‘Avatar 2’

It's been almost a decade since James Cameron's Avatar hit theaters, but filming is currently underway on Avatar 2, the long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. The cast of the film is also filling out, with Academy Award winner Kate Winslet recently joining the project in a starring role.

Winslet will play a character named Ronal for the film, but little is known about her role other than the character's name. However, the film will reunite Winslet with Cameron for the first time since the actress starred in 1997's Titanic.