Producer Jon Landau says that James Cameron screened three scenes from Avatar 2, with visual effects, for the crew on set this week. The production is currently filming in New Zealand, one of the few countries in the world that have managed to virtually eliminate coronavirus, and thus make it safe to resume filming on-set without too many stringent safety measures in place. Unfortunately, Avatar 2 was still forced to endure another delay due to the pandemic shutdown, meaning it will now be released in December 2022.

The latest delay also forced the subsequent sequels to be pushed back a year each, meaning that Avatar 5, should it make its current release date, will come out almost two full decades after the original was released. As a result, production on the movie is now full steam ahead, with Cameron recently gushing over the visuals that are being produced for the first sequel. Cameron has heavily invested in new technology in order to bring his vision to life, including new techniques to shoot underwater.

Now, Landau, who is producing all the sequels with Cameron, has posted an update on Instagram, saying that Cameron has screened three scenes from the upcoming sequel, all with close-to-completed visual effects. Landau says that the scenes re-energized the crew, and made them even keener to get back to working on the movie. His post can be seen below:


Landau has been a constant source of news on the movie, previously sharing when filming resumed, as well as posting other Avatar 2 behind-the-scenes shots giving fans insight into the complex production process required to shoot underwater. The producer has collaborated with Cameron on all his films since 1997's Titanic, and as a result, is one of the most successful producers, in terms of box office numbers, of all time. The fact that Cameron was able to screen three scenes from the movie with near-complete visual effects is a good sign for Avatar 2.

The movie has been dogged by production delays, but it seems like things are finally progressing smoothly. Given the technological requirements of the shoot, the fact the New Zealand-based Weta Digital has been able to produce the visual effects for three scenes already means that the production is further ahead of schedule than the recent delay would suggest. Nevertheless, given the scope of Cameron's ambition, one imagines that there is still a great deal of work to be done on Avatar 2. Cameron has consistently pushed the boundaries of movie technology throughout his career, and it seems like he's not slowing down any time soon.

Avatar 2 (2022)
Release Date: Dec 16, 2022

Avatar 3 (2024)
Release Date: Dec 20, 2024

Avatar 4 (2026)
Release Date: Dec 18, 2026

Avatar 5 (2028)
Release Date: Dec 22, 2028