AVATAR: Is a Trilogy In The Works?

January 13, 2010

AVATAR: Is a Trilogy In The Works?

Jake(Sam Worthington)

Gosh. I suppose this shows that I'm pretty naive about what goes on behind the scenes of mega-movies like AVATAR because it is now rather apparent that was long-ago agreed, contingent upon the box office success of AVATAR, that there would not only be a sequel but AVATAR would become a trilogy.

I loved the film, saw it three times (though once, due to the packed theatre was nauseatingly close to the screen so maybe two-and-a half times) so I'm very interested in talk of more AVATAR.

One problem for me however is that my favourite character Grace, (Sigourney Weaver) was killed. Certainly there could be a prequel that shows the very beginning of the human - Na'vi interactions including the process of Grace starting the school and since we know things went south with that-- more about how the human-aliens began effing it all up. It doesn't have to be a prequel (as it sounds like that is not what the decision-makers are moving toward). It could instead be a retelling of some of the human-Na'vi history.

They also killed "Trudy Chacon," the helicopter pilot played by Michelle Rodriguez. Though her helicopter went down in flames, with her backstory indicating she'd been on Pandora for years she could still appear. Or since Michelle's features would lend themselves very well to a Na'vi avatar, perhaps she can come back in another role entirely.

UPDATE in re: AVATAR sequel - More details leaked about the sequel - Official AVATAR blog

After muttering about how an AVATAR franchise would make sense and hinting that there could be a trilogy of AVATAR films, James Cameron has confirmed that there will be an AVATAR sequel, fueling speculation about how it might top the original...

Things we do know: There are two planned sequels but they won't be one continuous story, they'll be self-contained. They'll also follow Jake and Neytiri. It could take place around a different moon of Polyphemus this time, although producer Jon Landau has already hinted about exploring Pandora's interior. Some bloggers guess that James Cameron, famously obsessed with water, has an amazing underwater environment mapped out for Pandora. There are also different Na'vi tribes that call the planet their home and we never really got a sense of how intra-species politics work between the different tribes. Cameron confirmed he’s mapped out what will happen in the sequels, although he hasn’t written any scripts yet.

AVATAR Sequel and Details Confirmed - Avatar Blog

More after the jump

Actually, when I pitched this to 20th Century Fox four-and-a-half years ago, I said, ‘You know, we’re going to spend a lot of money and time and energy creating not only a process but the assets, the CG assets, we call them - all the models of every rock and tree and plant and creature and the muscle rigs for all the creatures and the facial rigging for the main characters and all that’… huge, millions and millions of dollars. So it really makes sense to think of it as the potential start of a franchise, if you will, or a saga that plays out over several acts, each movie being an act of that saga.

He goes on to say that he’s mapped out what will happen in the sequels, although he hasn’t written any scripts yet.

In regards to actually producing the sequels, Cameron told MTV that he can definitely get them out faster than the first film:

Part of what we set out to do is create a world and create these characters. From the time we capture and finish the capture, it’s literally nine to 10 months to get the CG characters working, to get their facial musculature working. … So now we have Jake, we have Neytiri. Sam can step right back into it, the characters will fit them like a glove, and we’ll just go on. So a lot of the start-up torque that had to be done for one movie really makes more sense if you play it out across several films.

...Avatar producer Jon Landau commented on a potential sequel saying, “After all, here we are exploring the surface of the planet Pandora. The interior remains to be seen.”

So not only are the moons a possibility, but also a further exploration into Pandora’s ecosystem...

Top photo: Michelle Rodriguez as pilot Trudy Chacon in "Avatar." Credit: Mark Fellman / 20th Century Fox. Below: Rodriguez as daredevil Letty in "Fast & Furious." Credit: Jaimie Trueblood / Universal Studios.