With 3D science fiction epic “Avatar” officially the highest grossing motion picture ever made (so long as you don’t adjust for inflation, anyway – if you do, it’s still “Gone with the Wind”, if truth be told), there was never any possibility that such a success would be allowed to stand alone, when a sequel is about as close to a sure fire cash cow as Hollywood can guarantee right now. So it is no surprise to find director James Cameron talking follow-up – especially as Rupert Murdoch apparently told him to.
Speaking to MTV News, Cameron says that while “I’ve got some deal hurdles I got to get over with the studio before I want to emotionally embrace that” (not fee related, he hastens to assure), he admits “Everyone’s highly motivated (to do a sequel). Rupert Murdoch told us we were doing it, so now they have to make a deal.” Any sequel will pick up after the original, most likely involving the characters of the now transformed Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his Na’vi lover Princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). “It would be a continuation of their story,” Cameron confirms, “and I expect those nasty humans won’t go away forever: “Oh well, that didn’t work!”” A sequel is therefore pretty definite – what’s less so is whether Cameron himself will direct it. “I’m sort of reacquainting with a bunch of other non-theatrical film projects, like space stuff and ocean stuff,” he confesses. “But yeah, I’m thinking about what the next feature will be and another “Avatar” film is a strong possibility.”
