Following on from the news that James Cameron will be shooting Avatar 2, 3, and 4 back to back in New Zealand, the least surprising news ever has just broke, that Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington will repreise their roles for all three sequels. Speaking in a press release from 20th Century Fox, Cameron went on to reveal what drew him to the two actors, saying, " Jake Sully is a rare combination of passion, strength, street smarts, and soul, which requires a lot from an actor. Sam brought to the role a combination of sensitivity, vulnerability, and strength. Zoe captureed every aspect of the character I envisioned, bringing to Neytiri a mix of delicacy, fierceness, and incredible physicality. I am beyond pleased they'll be returning with us to Pandora." There is nothing said about the decision to bring back Stephen Lang as the villainous and, as of the end of the first movie, quite dead Colonel Quarritch, but I think that can be summed up as that actor and character were absolutely bad ass.
Nothing much is known about the sequels, but Cameron will be working with Peter Jackson's WETA Digital to bring the world of Pandora to life once again, with our next visit including a trip into the mysterious planets oceans. Also, Cameron will be collaborating on all three of the sequels with screen writers Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Shane Salerno (Savages).
Avatar 2 will hit cinemas in December of 2016, Avatar 3 in December 2017, and Avatar 4 in December 2018.