Lightstorm Entertainment’s Jon Landau came to the stage to say they are in the middle of production on James Cameron’s Avatar sequels, and tossed to a video from Cameron on set who said he is on day 130 of performance capture. He was standing in front of a giant water tank and noted water “plays a huge part” in the new movies which will travel to “never before seen parts of Pandora.” He asided that Kate Winslet can hold her breath underwater for seven minutes and that Zoe Saldana wrapped her part last Friday. The early results on the movies “are beyond even our expectations,” Cameron concluded.
The presentation took a shot at the Disney-Fox deal, with President of International Theatrical Distribution Andrew Cripps and President of International Marketing Kieran Breen “packing” for the trip in a little video. At one point in the video Cripps pulls out a set of Mickey Mouse ears from his suitcase and Breen pulls out a Comcast shirt, so Fox is admitting that they have no idea what they’re going to end up doing.
They also showed new footage from Alita: Battle Angel and a first look at Dark Phoenix, but descriptions of that footage are likely under embargo. At the end of the day the theater industry is marred with uncertainty in the era of streaming and VOD, if nothing to say about the uncertainty when it comes to 20th Century Fox’s future. Fox Film Chairman and CEO Stacey Snider acknowledged this, so Fox is self-aware, but assured the crowd that:
“We cannot lose sight of the ultimate goal which is the sustainability and vitality of going to the movies. We must continue to make movies to be seen out of the home.” And to the exhibitors in the audience, she said, “Thank you for being by our side for 80 years.”
Avatar 2 will be released on December 18th, 2020. Avatar 3 will open December 17th, 2021, Avatar 4 is set of December 20th, 2024, and Avatar 5 will open December 19th, 2025.
Source: BleedingCool
