James Cameron Reveals Details on the Canceled Avatar Sequel That Had a 130-Page Script - IGN

Updated:

Nov 8, 2022 3:35 pm

Posted:

Nov 8, 2022 3:24 pm

James Cameron has shared details astir his canceled Avatar sequel, The High Ground, revealing that it had a 130-page publication with tons of "great stuff" successful it, including a zero-gravity battle.

Cameron discussed his scrapped Avatar sequel successful the caller contented of Total Film magazine, per GamesRadar. He explained wherefore the communicative ne'er made it to screen, saying the publication lacked a fewer important elements that the penning squad were evidently capable to bring to the aboveground successful the sequel that ended up going into production, Avatar: The Way of Water.

"We were noodling around," helium told the publication. "I was moving with a squad of writers. We had a batch of ideas. We kept trying to corral it into a box, and it ne'er rather fit. So astatine a definite point, I said, 'I'll conscionable decorativeness it, and spot if it's a movie.' I did. It came out, I think, astatine 130 pages. It was like, 'Man, this is simply a large story. This is simply a hellhole of a read.'

"But it was missing 1 of those captious elements astir sequels, which is that it didn't spell capable into the unexpected. It besides didn't play capable by Avatar rules, which is to link america to the imagination world, that which has a spiritual constituent that we can't adjacent rather quantify successful words. It ticked each different box, but it didn't tick that one."

Cameron and his squad restructured definite parts of The High Ground publication to incorporated them into the upcoming Avatar movie sequels, but decided to accommodate the remainder of the communicative for a caller graphic caller that volition deed shelves connected December 6. The comic volition service arsenic a prequel to The Way of Water, which volition beryllium released successful theaters 10 days later.

"There's immoderate large worldly successful it. I mean, you've got the Na'vi warring with bows and arrows successful zero-G," helium said. "But it conscionable didn't execute capable of the wide communicative and thematic goals that I had successful mind. So we're turning it into a Dark Horse graphic novel. You'll beryllium capable to spot that interim conflict that took spot betwixt movie 1 and movie two."

Avatar: The Way of Water is directed by James Cameron, and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau. It sees the instrumentality of Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña arsenic Sulley and Neytiri, alongside chap formed members Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and Kate Winslet.

Cameron confirmed Avatar 2 had finished filming successful September 2020. At the aforesaid time, helium revealed that Avatar 3 was astir 95% complete, with that movie owed retired connected December 20, 2024, Avatar 4 successful December 2026, and Avatar 5 successful December 2028 — though Cameron mightiness not helm each of the upcoming sequels, if they extremity up happening.

Adele Ankers-Range is simply a freelance amusement writer for IGN. Follow her connected Twitter.