Jon Landau Says Avatar 2 Is Four Years Away

[Brendon Connelly]

This morning, Hannah attended a preview screening of several scenes from the new, 3D version of Titanic and afterwards, got to exchange words with producer Jon Landau.

I hope she's going to be able to remember enough of what was said to bring you a full piece later - dictaphones and other recording devices were curiously banned - but she's just filled me in on one particular avenue of conversation.

When the Avatar sequels were first announced, I believe that we were told to expect them in 2013 and 2014. Well, time keeps on slipping (slipping, slipping) into the future. According to Landau this morning, the first sequel is "four years away."

So that's 2016 by a literal count, though we could be bendy and assume that Christmas 2015 would also be an option. Expect Avatar 3 a year later, as the performance capture and cinematography would take place back-to-back with the second film.

Landau promised that Avatar 2 was going to showcase advanced technology, from the 3D camera system used to the CG and performance capture, but also in terms of a higher framerate. This, he says, is the new frontier that he and Cameron are most interested in pushing.

[fredmanson]

Finally, Cameron is going where Douglas Trumbull (the SF/X Master on Blade Runner) is already on: to rise the framerate for the best quality picture.

The 3D technologies are not enough powerful and the 3D screens like on the Nintendo 3DS will not be used in the theaters.
The 3D will be OK when the 3D glasses will be no more used.

But before that, the framerate will be pushed to its better standard: 60 fps as our eyes are doing a 64 fps.

[The Xenos]

So... that just makes Cameron's long promised Battle Angel Alita movie even further on the horizon... UGH.

[Justin]

He better make it 30 years and do it right and hopefully I'll be dead and not have to hear about it.

I finally got to see Avatar and couldn't believe it. I liked Aliens, T2, and even the boat movie. However, Avatar sinks when you realize the military types are just cartoon villians. He takes a great premise and ruins it. He drops 'Shock and Awe' and 'terrorisim' in there and expects it to mean something relevant. There's no Muslim extremists in the thing in any way. Thus, it becomes an irrlevant film that (again) based on a great premise and starts off promisingly enough. It's just another Vietnam War film with the lesser armed tree people attack the hated miltary. Movies can't seem to properly discuss contemporary issues anymore.

Now I'm glad I didn't get the T2 collectors cup from Subway all those years ago.

[Monetta]

I deeply appreciate Cameron's vision for the future of cinema, but I'd rather they move away from another Avatar film.