"Our Avatar sets are ready — and we couldn't be more excited to be headed back to New Zealand next week," Landau revealed in the caption a few days ago before making a direct reference to the accompanying photo. "Check out the Matador, a high speed forward command vessel (bottom) and the Picador jetboat (top) — can't wait to share more."As one of the first major studio productions to start up shooting again, Landau confirmed to New Zealand news site RNZ that only a small team will return to the country, where they will enter quarantine for two weeks, as the cast and crew plan to follow a "detailed and diligent safety plan that will keep everybody as safe as possible in these unprecedented times."
In the same interview, Landau shared a few minor details about the story of the 2021 sequel, as he revealed that Sam Worthington's Jake and Zoe Saldana's Neytiri will be forced to abandon their home and explore never-before-seen parts of Pandora in the forthcoming film.
"This is the story of the Sully family and what one does to keep their family together," Landau explained to the outlet. "Jake and Neytiri have a family in this movie, they are forced to leave their home, they go out and explore the different regions of Pandora, including spending quite a bit of time on the water, around the water, in the water."Landau's tidbit of information about the plot aligns with the previously released concept art for the Avatar sequels, showcasing various scenic locations, including islands surrounded by azure blue seas, bioluminescent bays, and floating rock formations.
We suspect that there will be more sneak peeks over the coming months, as Avatar 2 currently remains on track to swoop into theatres on December 17, 2021 - with the other sequels set to release on December 22, 2023, December 19, 2025, and December 17, 2027. Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.