James Cameron Reveals Avatar 2 Postponed Again, Wont Arrive 2018

James Cameron has revealed that the much-anticipated first sequel to his 2009 blockbuster Avatar wont arrive in 2018 as planned.

Avatar 2 was initially penciled in for a Christmas 2016 release before shifting to Christmas 2017, setting up a potential box office battle between the sequel and Star Wars: Episode VIII.

In January 2016, 20th Century Fox announced that Avatar 2s release date would likely be pushed to Christmas 2018; however, in a new interview with the Toronto Star, Cameron admitted the sequel, the first of four planned Avatar films, wont be released next year.

Well, 2018 is not happening, the director said. We havent announced a firm release date.

Cameron went on to explain that the magnitude of the project hes planning on making all four Avatar sequels simultaneously has postponed the Avatar 2 production.

What people have to understand is that this is a cadence of releases, he said. So, were not making Avatar 2, were making Avatar 2, 3, 4 and 5. Its an epic undertaking. Its not unlike building the Three Gorges dam. So I know where Im going to be for the next eight years of my life. Its not an unreasonable time frame if you think about it.

Cameron, who will bring Avatar to Disney World this May with Pandora: The World of Avatar, added that the production has pretty well designed on all our creatures and sets.

Were full tilt boogie right now. This is my day job and pretty soon well be 24-7, Cameron said. Its pretty exciting stuff. I wish I could share with the world. But we have to preserve a certain amount of showmanship and were going to draw that curtain when the time is right.

When Cameron announced that the Avatar franchise would expand with four sequels, as opposed to the originally planned three, the director charted 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024 as the years of release; its unclear if the remainder of that schedule has been altered as well.

So far, the art Im seeing is, in pure imagination, really far beyond the first film, Cameron said of the sequels at the time. Its going to be a true epic saga.