James Cameron has been working on the Avatar sequels for years, but the outbreak of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) delayed production. However, Cameron still believes Avatar 2 will be ready for its December 2021 release, despite the halt in filming.

"It's putting a major crimp in our stride here," Cameron told Empire. "I want to get back to work on Avatar, which right now we're not allowed to do under state emergency laws or rules. So it's all on hold right now. We were about to shoot down in New Zealand, so that got pushed. We're trying to get back to it as quick as we can."

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It was recently announced that Avatar was given the green light to resume filming, with the film's digital side seeing less of a delay in production. Since much of Pandora is brought to life by VFX artists, they were able to work while filming was stopped. "We've got everybody -- everybody at Weta Digital and Lightstorm -- working from home to the extent that that is possible," Cameron said. "But my work is on the stage doing the virtual cameras and so on, so I can do a bit of editing, but it's not great for me."

Written and directed by James Cameron, Avatar 2 stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco, Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis. The film is slated to release Dec. 17, 2021, followed by Avatar 3 in Dec. 2023, Avatar 4 in Dec. 2025, and Avatar 5in Dec. 2027.

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