James Cameron started production on the first of his four Avatar sequels Tuesday. The films, which will be shot one right after the other, reportedly have a budget of $1 Billion.
Vulture reports that the 3D movies were announced quite some time ago, but had been repeatedly delayed. The delay was due in part to the fact that Cameron wanted to write all three films simultaneously, before determining that doing so was a bit more complicated than he originally anticipated. The first of the Avatar sequels was originally slated to be released in 2016, followed by releases in 2017 and 2018. Now, the first sequel will come out after the final film in the series was originally scheduled to be released.
The first sequel is now expected to be released in theaters on December 18, 2020, exactly 11 years after the original movie premiered in theaters. After that, Avatar 3 is expected to premiere in December 2012, Avatar 4 in December 2024, and Avatar 5 in December 2025.
The original Avatar was released in 2009, and made with an estimated budget of $237 million, according to IMDB. The film grossed more than $760 million in the United States alone.
