WhenJames Cameronset out to makeAvatarback in the 2000s, he admitted he had intentions to turn the franchise into a trilogy, but it’d be surprising to learn that he was already plotting a five-film franchise at that time. After the release and subsequent success ofAvatarin 2009, Cameron got to work writing what we believed to be two sequels that may or may not shoot back-to-back. But as writing continued, this expanded to three sequels, and then eventuallyfoursequels.
After years of writing and development, production is currently underway on bothAvatar 2andAvatar 3, with the majority of filming onAvatar 4andAvatar 5to commence afterAvatar 2hits theaters in 2020—over a decade after the firstAvatarhit theaters. While the original film is the highest grossing movie in history, there are no doubt going to be plenty of people who’ve never seenAvatarcurious if they can jump into this franchise starting withAvatar 2. The answer, apparently, is yes.
AvatarproducerJon Landaurecently took part in a Q&A at Collider’s IMAX screening ofAlita: Battle Angel, which he also produced, and he revealed that each of theAvatarsequels is being approached as a standalone film:
“Each movie is a standalone movie that we would wanna go see. You don’t need to have seen the firstAvatarto seeAvatar 2. It sits there and we’re gonna take people on a visual and an emotional journey that comes to its own conclusion. Okay, step back. Is that a movie we would wanna make just as a standalone story? Yes. Now we do the same thing on Movie 3, Movie 4, and Movie 5. What we have the luxury of onAvataris the world of Pandora. We get to keep it there but everything can be new, we’re not treading new ground.”
One of the big questions surrounding theseAvatarsequels has been whether there’s still an interest in this franchise a decade later. UnlikeStar WarsorHarry Potter,Avatarhasn’t quite remained in the zeitgeist for all this time, despite a major theme park presence at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. But branding these sequels almost as something new and standalone, that doesn’t require an intense familiarity with the firstAvatar, is a very smart move.
For more on theAvatarsequels,click herefor what Landau said about the live-action sequences and the franchise’s geography, andclick herefor a great story aboutKate Winsletlearning to hold her breath. Watch the full Q&A video below.
