Though there’d been successful 3D films before it, Avatar’s immersive special effects took the medium to a new level of artistic and financial success. The story chronicling Na'vi’s fight to protect their lands against encroachments from a sinister corporation is familiar, but it’s lush backdrops helped James Cameron top his own Titanic as the highest grossing film of all time. The first in a planned trilogy also contributed to a studio clamor to release 3D version of their films.
Twentieth Century FoxThe Avatar universe just got a bit bigger.
Fox has announced that James Cameron’s Avatar movie series will now be a tetralogy instead of a trilogy, with the number of sequels growing from two to three.
PHOTOS: 30 Groundbreaking Sci-Fi Films
With that, Cameron has hired several writers to help pen the sequels.
Josh Friedman (who ironically wrote TV’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Rise of the Planet of the Apes duo Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and Shane Salerno (Shaft, Savages) will collaborate with him on the screenplays for the three films.
According to Fox, the new movies will be filmed simultaneously, with production beginning next year.
The first sequel will hit theaters in December 2016, with the second to follow in December 2017 and the third a year later.
Cameron and Jon Landau will produce through their Lightstorm Entertainment banner.
The filmmaker will work once again with WETA on creating the fantastical worlds.
“In writing the new films, I’ve come to realize that Avatar’s world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent that two films would not be enough to capture everything I wanted to put on screen,” Cameron said in a statement.
Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of all time, with the tally standing at over $2.7 billion.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
-
Pixar
‘Elemental’ Team on Pixar Films Returning to Theaters: “It’s Disappointing When People Watch Them on iPhones”
![]()
-
Rambling Reporter
‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’ Breakout Daryl McCormack Talks ‘Twister’ Remake and Next Phase of His Career
![]()
-
international
“We Eat, Breathe and Sleep This Company”: Elevation Pictures’ 10-Year Journey to Canadian Indie Powerhouse
![]()
-
Heat Vision
Hugh Grant in Talks for A24 Thriller from ‘A Quiet Place’ Writers Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
![]()
-
Tribeca Film Festival
‘Chasing Chasing Amy’ Review: An Illuminating Deep Dive Into Kevin Smith’s Complicated Classic
![]()
-
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man, Gremlins and Ninjago: What THR’s Kid Critics Are Saying
![]()
