Fox has announced that "Avatar" will have three sequels.
The studio announced that not only will the James Cameron film include three Avatar sequels simultaneously, but he has hired three other screenwriters Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Shane Salerno (Savages) to collaborate with him on the screenplays in order to "help bring his growing Avatar universe to life and to expedite the process." Josh Friedman, who was previously announced, will write one of the films.
Cameron also had the chance to speak about the persepective of the new films and said, "Building upon the world we created with Avatar has been a rare and incredibly rewarding experience. In writing the new films, I've come to realize that 'Avatar's' world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent that two films would not be enough to capture everything I wanted to put on screen. And to help me continue to expand this universe, I'm pleased to bring aboard Amanda, Rick, Shane and Josh - all writers I've long admired - to join me in completing the films screenplays."
Fox also announced that "Avatar 2" will be released in December 2016, "Avatar 3" will hit theaters in December 2017, and "Avatar 4" will follow a year later.
The original "Avatar" became the most successful film of all time and launched the 3-D era. The film made $760 million domestically and $2.7 billion worldwide. It was also nominated for nine Academy Awards, and took home three.
More details are rumored to appear at the D23 expo which begins on August 9.