Fox has confirmed that James Cameron has lined up screenwriters for three sequels to his blockbuster 2009 feature Avatar. It was commonly known that the visionary director and producer has been working on two follow-up films to the sci-fi pic over the last four years, but today it was revealed that Avatar 4 is also on the book. Yesterday, it was announced that Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), has been hired to help out with the script to Avatar 2.
On Thursday, the studio revealed that Cameron has also tapped Friedman, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Shane Salerno (Savages) to collaborate with him on the scripts for Avatar 2, 3 and 4. The first sequel is expected to arrive in theaters in December 2016, while Avatar 3 and 4 will be ready for Dec. 2017 and 2018. The director has also said that the fourth film may actually be a prequel which explores the colonization process of Pandora.
In an official statement, Cameron noted, “Building upon the world we created with Avatar has been a rare and incredibly rewarding experience. In write 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. And to help me continue to expand this universe, I’m pleased to bring aboard Amanda, Rick, Shane and Josh — all writers I’ve long admired - to join me in completing the films screenplays.”
