Avatar 2 Delayed Again, All Sequels Movies Get New Release Dates

As Disney continues to figure out its release schedule, which now consists of 20th Century Fox films, in addition to Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Disney titles, some releases are on the move. One of the biggest changes is the first sequel to James Cameron's Avatar.

While Avatar 2 was initially scheduled to be released on December 18, 2020, the film has been pushed back a full year. Now, the second movie will hit theaters on December 17, 2021. From there, the franchise will release a film every other December. December 22, 2023 will see Avatar 3, with Avatar 4 on December 19, 2025, and Avatar 5 on December 17, 2027. In the years that don't have an Avatar release, a Star Wars film rounds out the final month of the year for Disney.

The remaining four films in the Avatar franchise are filming back-to-back now with James Cameron returning as director. According to Sam Worthington, who stars in the movies, the story picks up eight years after the first movie.

"This is going to be Jake [Sully, Worthington's character] eight years later, and he's got a family now," the actor previously told We Got This Covered. "This film is going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen. The world is bigger than the first one, but essentially, it’s a movie about family. Jake will still have that essence of a kid seeing the world for the first time, but he’s been living in the world for a while now, so what’s this world he’s seeing now for the first time? The film will explore that within this family dynamic."

The first Avatar remains the top grossing film of all time with $2.7 billion at the global box office. However, it's possible that could change soon with Avengers: Endgame quickly catching up to that number.

As for Disney's other releases, the studio has also dated a slew of upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars films, and handed out yet another new release date to the X-Men spin-off film New Mutants.