‘Avatar’ sequels have wrapped production - and they might be more adult

We’re really doing this!
We’re really doing this!

It’s been almost 10 years since Avatar hit cinemas and became the most successful movie ever made. Waaaay back in 2009, we were all gawping at this new-fangled ‘3D’ thing (okay, so it had been around before, but never like this) and getting excited for the swiftly announced sequels. Now, finally, James Cameron has finished production on those sequels.

Cameron announced the news via a video message.

“Hi, James Cameron here and today I’m coming to you from the set of the Avatar sequels — and behind me you can see our performance-capture stage. Today we’re capturing some stunt scenes filming some stunt scenes but our principal cast are all wrapped: Sam [Worthington], Zoe [Saldana], Sigourney [Weaver], Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet.”

The director added: “They’re done now but they gave us incredible performances. And I can’t tell you how proud I am of the work that they did on these films.”

Slightly bafflingly, Cameron immediately went on to push another movie he’s been involved with for ages – Alita: Battle Angel, which Cameron has been circling to direct since the late ‘90s.

We say it’s baffling, because Cameron only operates as producer on the film, and if the CGI-heavy science-fiction film isn’t amazing, then it seems like a strange decision to associate it so directly with his other effects bonanza.

Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic.
Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic.

Still, here’s hoping it’s great, and at least we’ve got one cool thing out of it – director Robert Rodriguez has revealed during Alita interviews that Avatar was originally meant to be much more adult.

“Because it’s a graphic novel they can go really out there and part of what Jim [Cameron] did on Avatar originally, he wrote that to be an R-rated movie,” he said.

“He knew he needed to pull some stuff back so it could be for all audiences, PG-13. And so we certainly keep a good balance I think, especially because with cyborg action you can do a lot more, but I think we keep the right tone,” Rodriguez continued.

Could this over 18-orientated original script mean the Avatar sequels might age with their audience and become more adult-orientated? Again, here’s hoping.

We’ll find out when the long-delayed Avatar 2 (hopefully) hits cinemas in December, 2020.


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