Avatar 2 officially resumes production in New Zealand, and producer Jon Landau has shared a new set photo to celebrate the occasion. As was the case with most blockbuster film productions, Avatar 2 was forced to suspend work back in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, remote work on the special effects continued to ensure the long-awaited sci-fi sequel doesn't get delayed yet again. When New Zealand finally lifted its restrictions on film and television work, Avatar 2 was the first to announce its intention to pick back up again. Landau and director James Cameron returned to New Zealand two weeks ago and had to undergo a quarantine before actually getting back to work.
The first Avatar came out in 2009 and was the most unique kind of success story: An original sci-fi film that manged to become (at the time) the highest-grossing film in history. While Avatar told a contained story, Cameron soon revealed his plans to create not one, not two, but four additional Avatar films. Fans have been waiting for them to arrive ever since, but progress has been slow going because of Cameron's determination to get the technology exactly right. Avatar 2, for example, is said to have a lot of underwater scenes that require state of the art tech. After all this time, however, the Avatar sequels are finally making real progress.
Landau, who has regularly shared behind the scenes photos of the Avatar sequels, confirmed the restart of production with another sneak peek of the set. Much like what has been shared before, there's a lot of green (and blue) screens, some of which are positioned into some intriguing shapes. As Landau said, this is "our first shot back in production." You can see it for yourself in the space below.
Because the Avatar films require so many special effects, very few plot details can be gleaned from the shared set photos. A recent picture showed new cast members Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis alongside returning stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington, all four fully decked out in performance capture suits in a water tank. At most, that simply confirms all four will be present when Avatar 2 visits the oceans of Pandora, which, as mentioned before, is said to be a major setting for the film.
Additionally, Landau recently teased where Avatar 2 will find central couple Jake (Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana). By the time this movie picks up, the two will have started a family, though it won't be long before they have to leave their home to protect them. Barring no further delays, Avatar 2 will finally be released in December 2021. Until then, expect more behind the scenes peeks.
Source: Jon Landau/Instagram
