The latest set photo from Avatar 2 shows director James Cameron sitting in the middle of a human bio lab set before a day of filming. Cameron is the legendary director behind a string of megahits, including Aliens, Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Titanic, and the first Avatar. The latter two movies were both the highest-earning box office hits of all time at their time of release, making Cameron one of the most profitable directors in history.
His next challenge is producing and directing four sequels to the 2009 hit, the first of which is currently shooting in New Zealand. All four movies were recently delayed (yet again), this time due to the coronavirus shutdown, with Avatar 2 now aiming for a December 16, 2022 release. Cameron has said that Avatar 2 will mainly take place underwater, exploring the vast oceans on the fantasy planet Pandora. However, there will still be a human element to the movie, with several human characters returning from the first movie, either in flashback or as part of the new narrative.
The official Twitter account for Avatar 2 has released a pair of new photos. The first shows Cameron sitting on an indoor set, which the account calls the "High Camp Bio Lab," while looking at what appears to be schematics for the set. The second is an exterior shot of the bio lab set, as seen from above. Both shots show the set is mostly empty of production crew and cast but filled with props. You can see both tweets below.
The photos are the first look the production has given at any human sets from the much-anticipated sequel, aside from one shot of producer Jon Landau on set with Sigourney Weaver. The posts are confirmation that action will not just be set in the world of the Na'vi, but will also once again explore the human side of the story. Whether the bio lab seen here will just be used in flashbacks to the events of the first movie, or for the new narrative, is uncertain.
The assumption, based on the story from the first movie, is that the conflict between the Na'vi and the RDA will continue, and as such, you can expect that the humans will once again attempt to infiltrate the Na'vi by using the bio labs. This set could also be a setting for the group of rebels to use in their fight against the RDA, though it's uncertain if they'll still be human in the sequels.
Whatever is being shot, it seems as if Cameron and the production have moved on from shooting the underwater scenes, at least for the time being, and are focusing on the likely less CGI-intensive physical scenes set in the human world. It's a sign that production on Avatar 2 is steaming ahead.
Source: Avatar/Twitter
