Avatar 2 the movie

Avatar 2 looked all set to finally arrive next year after a wait of more than a decade that featured several delays. But it turns out that there was one more delay up Avatar 2's sleeve and we now won't be returning to Pandora until December 2022. This time though, it's not really the sequel's fault as it's down to the global situation affecting production. 

James Cameron's Avatar broke box office records upon release, and here's everything that's known about the story for his long-awaited sequel, Avatar 2? Avatar 2 as been in production for over a decade now, and visionary director James Cameron has been planning the sequel since before the first movie was even released back in late 2009. Sci-fi fans have been eagerly awaiting the film's arrival, desperate to see what the creator of blockbusters such as The Terminator and Titanic has been tinkering away on for over a decade.

Avatar 2 the movie

But Avatar 2's long production process has been causing concern amongst a lot of film fans. Despite Avatar's box office success, Cameron's original film was divisive and one flaw that many critics found with the film was its focus on impressive visuals over plot and character. As such, fans are understandably concerned by the gradually emerging stories of James Cameron developing new filmmaking technology for the sequel, as this may mean Avatar 2 will focus on aesthetics over content (again). Some fans want to hear more plot details to assuage their fears, and very little information is forthcoming. But despite these reasonable concerns a lot of sci-fi fans are more than happy with the sheer technical marvel and visual spectacle of the movies and are certain that Avatar's sequels are worth their $1 billion budget.

Over the last 10 years we've seen countless major movie franchises come and go, but few have had the global appeal of James Cameron's Avatar. Released in December 2009, the film continues to hold the record as the highest-grossing movie of all time, pulling in $2.782 billion worldwide and while that record may be about to fall, the strength of Avatar should not be overlooked. We have been patiently waiting for sequels to arrive ever since, and while the filmmaking team behind the franchise has been taking its time, they have some absolutely gigantic plans for the future.

Avatar 2 and its several other sequels have been in development for years and while it has looked a time or two like the movies might never actually happen, the second and third Avatar sequels are actually in production now, so baring massive disaster, they at least will happen. Here's everything we know about Avatar 2 so far.

Films with major blockbuster potential like Avatar 2 usually want to get as many butts into those theater seats as possible. So, while there's been no word on the actual story of the sequel, it's unlikely that it will drift into Rated R territory. We should also note that the original film received a PG-13 rating, and it's a good bet that Avatar 2, and the three sequels planned after it, will attempt to stick with the same rating.

Producer Jon Landau revealed that both Avatar 2 and its subsequent sequels will focus on family as their overarching theme, while the films themselves will also function as standalone stories. Despite some fans' certainty that Avatar 2 won't beat Avengers: Endgame at the box office, the decision to make the series a family-centric franchise is a canny one which may benefit the creator's chances. The decision is likely intended to mirror the MCU's focus on a wide array of heroes rather than a lone protagonist. Landau confirmed that Avatar 2 and the franchise installments which follow the 2022 film will create an epic story that tells the tale of one family through a massive, multi-film saga, not unlike the Skywalker saga of the Star Wars series.

It's a format that can be adapted to include spinoff films, meaning there's little limit to how much the Avatar franchise can grow. Given the film's ambition, it's inarguable that Avatar 2 will be one of the biggest movies of 2022 (if it isn't delayed again). Not only will the family story expand the already large cast, Avatar 2's focus on the next generation of Na'vi means that the movie will explore the world of Pandora, as Jake and his newfound brood will encounter both new tribes of Na'vi and explore new parts of the film's fictional universe Pandora. This will entail some exploration of the planet's oceans too, a unique proposition that has led Cameron to develop new film making technology for just this purpose.

As mixed as Avatar's reception was, some stars such as Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver were singled out for praise. But the film's high body count prompted fans to wonder how much of the original cast will be back for the next franchise installment. Out of all the characters returning for Avatar 2, the name which has prompted the most excitement has to be Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch. Not only is the hammy, larger-than-life villain of the first film back for Avatar 2, but Cameron also confirmed his character will be returning for all the subsequent sequels despite him previously dying onscreen in Avatar. Then again, it wouldn't be a James Cameron franchise without a few insane plot twists, and death never stopped Arnold Schwarzenegger from reprising his iconic Cameron-indebted role as the Terminator.

Many fans feel the return of the Avatar franchise proves 2020 movies are bringing back smart sci-fi, so Avatar 2 will be arriving with great expectations when it does finally land in theaters. That said, if there's any director who can wow an audience despite fever pitch hype, it's James Cameron.

Avatar 2 release date

To cut a long story short, Avatar 2 is finally going to be released on December 22, 2022, having been pushed back from December 2021. The latest delay was a result of production being delayed due to the global shutdown, not just the live-action filming in New Zealand, but also the "virtual production work" taking place in Los Angeles.

Production got back underway in early June in New Zealand (not without controversy though), so we'll just have to hope that there aren't any further delays to production as the sequel aims for 2022. As mentioned before, a new Avatar movie will follow every other year all the way until Avatar 5 on December 22, 2028. Well, that's the plan anyway.

If you want the full story of the sequel's long and drawn-out journey to the screen, here goes. Looking back on it, it seems almost absurd that Avatar 2 was scheduled for release in December 2014, and Avatar 3 was scheduled for December 2015.

What will Avatar 2 be called?

While we've been calling them Avatar 2, Avatar 3 and so on, there hasn't been any official confirmation on what they will be called. However, the BBC reported that the films could be called Avatar: The Way of Water, Avatar: The Seed Bearer, Avatar: The Tulkun Rider and Avatar: The Quest for Eywa – which Cameron later confirmed are potential titles, but could be subject to change.