Which face do you think I make when I realize James Cameron will have ultimately devoted 25 years of his life to his least remarkable, least enjoyable film by far?
No, really. Guess.
The former King of the World is so sure that there are just endless stories to be told on Pandora that he’s expanded the number of planned AVATAR sequels from three (!!) to four (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). We’ll get AVATAR 2 at the end of 2018, then 3 in 2020, 4 in 2022, and now, 5 in 2023. That’s right, four AVATAR movies in five years. And you thought the first one was long.
I met some serious AVATAR fans when I went to the preview of the TORUK Cirque Du Soleil show last fall, but I have to say, I have never, anywhere, with anyone, or from anyone have witnessed the kind of fan enthusiasm that would motivate this kind of unprecedented faith in this franchise. THE MATRIX, for example, was everywhere, from the kind of clothes people were wearing to the lines (“I know kung-fu,” “There is no spoon”) all the way through, of course, the endless ripping off of the film’s bullet-time effects. Has ANYTHING been influenced by AVATAR, both onscreen and off? Is Na’vi 1/10th as popular as Klingon, Vulcan, or Elvish? Are you seeing armies of blue people the way you see countless Darth Vaders, Mal Reynolds, or Master Chiefs at your local comic conventions??
*sigh* My own massive distaste for Cameron’s slavish belief that this shit is worth his time aside, the prevailing notion is that these sequels won’t necessarily follow Jake Sully or Neytiri’s tribe, but will focus on different characters/species from throughout the world of Pandora. AVENGERS money, y’all.
But, seriously, please, people, tell me. Does anyone want even ONE more of these movies, let alone fucking FOUR?!!! That’s like 9+ more hours of this bullshit!! And it’s not like we can miss them. It’s James Cameron, after all. Dammit.
UPDATED (16:55): Here's the official logo of the franchise going forward, now that Jake and Neytiri's faces aren't as central:
AVATAR 2 is set for December 2018, with 3 for 2020, 4 for 2022, and 5 for 2023. Meanwhile, the Wachowskis currently have nothing official in the works.
