'Avatar 2' Release Date Pushed From 2016 to 2017 - James Cameron Says Sequels Delayed One More Year

Filmmaker James Cameron this week revealed that the original plan of releasing the next 3 Avatar sequels in 2016, 2017, and 2018 has been changed. The director explained that, in order to make sure the movie experience is substantial for each new film, a delay of one year on each project has to take place. So Avatar 2, 3, and 4 will now be released in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectfully. Find out more about this release date update below!

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"There's a layer of complexity in getting the story to work as a saga across three films that you don't get when you're making a stand-alone film," Cameron told reporters in New Zealand this week, where his films will be shot. The director, along with other filmmakers including Peter Jackson, took part in a promotional press event to help boost the movie industry in the country.

"We're writing three simultaneously. And we've done that so that everything tracks throughout the three films. We're not just going to do one and then make up another one and another one after that," he explained, according to ABC News. "And parallel with that, we're doing all the design. So we've designed all the creatures and the environments."

According to Gamma Squad, Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, and Stephen Lang have signed on to return for the next film, and probably the following sequels as well, depending on how the story develops.

Avatar was released in 2009 and is the highest grossing movie in history. The movie took home $2.8 billion at the box office, so we're expecting a similar situation when the next three movies in the franchise come out.

What do you think of this movie news? Are you excited about the Avatar sequel? Let us know in the comments section below!