Avatar 2 Has Finally Started Production, First Cast Image Revealed

The follow-up to what is still the biggest box office hit of all time--James Cameron's Avatar--has finally started shooting. The film will be the first of four Avatar sequels that Cameron is making back-to-back, and it doesn't hit theaters until 2020. The other three Avatar films will be released over the following five years.

To mark the start of production, Entertainment Weekly has revealed some of Avatar 2's new cast members, who will join returning actors Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, and Stephen Lang. However, it's worth bearing in mind that all but one of these young stars will be rendered digitally as the movie's blue-skinned aliens, known as the Na'vi. Check the image out below:

From left-to-right, the actors are Britain Dalton, Filip Geljo, Jamie Flatters, Bailey Bass, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, and Duane Evans Jr. According to EW, Champion is the only one playing a human character.

Not surprisingly, specific plot details about Avatar 2 are scarce. However, producer Jon Landau did explain that the young cast would help shift the tone of the movie. "We never had this youthful element before, and that brings a different kind of energy to the film," he said. "They represent the future generation of Pandora and play a very significant role--not just in this movie but throughout all the movies."

The first Avatar sequel is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2020, with the next ones arriving on December 17, 2021, December 20, 2024, and December 19, 2025.

In related news, it has been confirmed that Cameron is also returning to the Terminator franchise. He will produce and work on the story for the sixth movie in the sci-fi action series he created, which is to be directed by Deadpool's Tim Miller and will hit theaters in July 2019.