Two Avatars? Wasn’t One Enough?

Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com

I was always grateful that Jim Cameron never decided to make a Titanic 2. Sure, he made Aliens as a sequel to Ridley Scott’s Alien, and he made Terminator 2, but when he shoots his wad he does so with such gusto that one expects that to be more than enough. Now the news has been dropped that Cameron has committed to an Avatar 2 and an Avatar 3. To what end, this? There is a part of me that kind of wants to go back into that magical world which, let’s face it, was kind of dumbly written but unlike anything we’d ever seen before. If I were Jimbo, I might not back away from the opportunity to work at that level again. Knowing him, the movies will not be the usually devolved sequels we see once a studio spots a lucrative franchise. But still, to what end, this?

Variety’s Pamela McClintock reported the story, which is confirmed by Cameron’s camp. I can’t read the story because it’s behind a pay wall so I don’t know if there is a plot outline yet for 2 and 3 – but I think we can pretty much figure it out, right? Save Pandora, keep her from the evils of all those who want to rape and exploit her? Will Jake and Neytiri have offspring? Of course they will. Will one of the stories involve their offspring? Who knows. Will we go back to Jake’s life before he went to Pandora? Hard to say. What we do know: great action sequences and the most beautiful alternative reality ever put to screen.

From Business Week:

The installments are targeted for release in December 2014 and 2015, the movie studio said today in an e-mailed statement. Cameron will begin working on the scripts early next year and may start production later in 2011.

The planned releases could mark another boost for News Corp.’s profit. “Avatar,” which ignited viewer enthusiasm for 3-D films, has taken in $2.78 billion in worldwide box-office sales, on production costs of $230 million, according to Box Office Mojo. The movie was released on Dec. 18.

Cameron will decide if he’ll make the new films back-to- back after completing the scripts, Fox said. He will produce them with Jon Landau for Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment.

News Corp., based in New York, fell 24 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $14.07 at 10:26 a.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Before today, the shares had gained 4.5 percent this year.