Avatar 2 producer Jon Landau confirmed that he and director James Cameron have touched down in New Zealand to resume filming the sequel. Production on the long-awaited follow up to the 2009 box office champion was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. But just last week, Landau confirmed that production on Avatar 2 would be able to resume.
New Zealand has been one of the most successful countries in fighting the pandemic, recently confirming that they had effectively conquered the virus, with no new cases in a number of days. This led to the country reopening for business, and one of their main industries, filming, is included.
Landau posted images of him and Cameron touching down in New Zealand via Instagram, showing them wearing protective face masks and shields. He also mentioned that he and Cameron will now have to undertake a government-enforced 14-day period of self-isolation. This means that both men will have to remain in their accommodation for two weeks before they can safely begin working on set. See the post below:
What the self-isolation means for production is uncertain. Clearly Landau and Cameron will be unable to appear physically on set, but this may not delay filming. Landau has previously spoken about the fact that aspects of production could continue virtually, and one imagines that the director will be able to monitor progress on set virtually from his self-isolation base.
Given that the production is a large, technical one, there should be opportunity for the crew to work on second unit and action scenes while they wait for Cameron and Landau to complete their two-week isolation period. This could help Avatar 2 to avert any further delays, something Cameron has been keen on avoiding.
Avatar 2 will be the first of four sequels to the 2009 film that until recently was the highest earning movie of all time. The long-gestating sequels finally began filming in New Zealand last year, with a number of cast members reprising their roles. In addition, new performers, including Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis, have joined the production in unspecified roles.
The sequels look to be just as ambitious and technically challenging as the first movie was, with Cameron saying that the majority of the second film will be set underwater, in Pandora's many oceans. This is one of the reasons for the long gap between the first movie and its sequels. Cameron was busy developing the technology required to properly bring his vision to life.
With both Landau and Cameron back in New Zealand, production should soon be steaming ahead, meaning Avatar 2 remains on track to meet its December 17, 2021 release date.
Source: Jon Landau
