Avatar Sequels Have a Combined Budget of $1 Billion

The Avatar sequels were forced to suspend production due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now they're getting back into gear in New Zealand. A new report from Deadline suggests that the combined budget for these sequels is $1 billion. That's spread out among the four planned sequels to the original film, which grossed over $1 billion itself. James Cameron returns to direct. According to the report, filming hasn't resumed yet and the production team isn't back in New Zealand, but the gears are getting in motion to get the highly-anticipated blockbuster sci-fi film series back to work. The films hail from 20th Century Studios, now a subsidiary of Disney.

In March, Avatar star Stephen Lang discussed returning for the big sequels. "It's very satisfying to know that the character was valued enough and made enough of an impression to [have Cameron] say 'we're not done with him yet'," Lang said. "That, initially, was kind of wonderful, to me. My job is really to advocate the role that I'm playing, and so it's satisfying to have that much more time to discover Quaritch, find out what makes him tick, talk about him, and hopefully defy expectations that people have for the character, to create new expectations. I'm working now with a much broader canvas than I was with the first Avatar, and it keeps me in concert with James Cameron to really go to town and examine the character in detail. That, to me, is totally tremendously satisfying and challenging.

"He has evolved, definitely. We're making four more films, so if he doesn't evolve, we're in some kind of trouble. And it's not always a question of evolution, it's about becoming more deeply entrenched. I'm still discovering it. That's something I'll be discovering as we continue to work because we're by no means near finished with this process."

Avatar 2 will also see the return of stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald. New additions to the cast include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, Vin Diesel, and CJ Jones.

Avatar 2 will be released in theaters on December 17, 2021. If all goes according to plan, Avatar 3 will be released on December 22, 2023, Avatar 4 will be released on December 19, 2025, and Avatar 5 will be released on December 17, 2027.