After COVID-19 delays, 'Avatar' sequels get rolling again

Photo by Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic(NEW ZEALAND) -- James Cameron and company are back at work in New Zealand on the Avatar sequels, following production shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As previously reported, the shooting location of the four sequels was the key to getting back to work. The island nation took early, methodical steps to limit COVID-19's spread.

Producer Jon Landau posted a snap of the first shot of the newly-restarted production: It shows Cameron perched behind a camera crane.

Avatar 2 is slated for a Dec. 17, 2021 opening, while the third, fourth, and fifth films in the series are scheduled to roll out in 2023, 2025, and 2027, respectively.

The movies are being shot concurrently. The casts include returning stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Giovanni Ribisi. Series newcomers include Oscar-winner Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, and and Dileep Rao.

The Avatar movies will be released by 20th Century Studios, which is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

By Stephen Iervolino
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