Peter Jackson’s visual effects studio, Weta Digital, has revealed that they’ve officially started work on James Cameron’s Avatar sequels.
After countless setbacks, this announcement marks the first substantial step towards ending the uncertainty that has surrounded Cameron’s ambitious project. The director plans to shoot all four sequels back to back, with the first of those entries being given a tentative release date of 2020 and a new movie hitting theaters every year there until 2023.
Weta’s announcement is a rare one, in that production on digital effects does not normally begin on a movie until there has been some form of live-action base on which they can be layered. However, Avatar is not a traditional production, and Cameron will be relying heavily on visual effects as he continues to build the world of Pandora and its colorful inhabitants.
8 years ago, James Cameron’s Avatar broke new ground with its visual effects, and many will be fully expecting more of the same from these sequels. Thankfully, Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital have plenty of experience in that department, creating mind-blowing VFX for franchises like Lord of the Rings and the new Planet of the Apes series.
Via Deadline
Images: 20th Century Fox
