James Cameron’s “Avatar” was released in 2009 and became the all-time box-office champ (until “Avengers: Endgame" dethroned it just last year). When Cameron announced that four sequels would follow, many people were bewildered — you see, even if “Avatar” broke box-office records left and right, it also, over the last decade, hasn’t really aged well. Its “Dances With Wolves” meets “Pocahontas” storyline wasn’t anything to write home about, in fact, the real reason why it became such a monstrous success was due to Cameron’s groundbreaking use of 3D technology and CGI in the film. To watch “Avatar” on the small screen would be to be missing the point. Seen in theaters, on the biggest and best screen possible, it is nothing short of an immersive experience.
And so, with these four new installments, we have to expect some kind of new technology or else what exactly would be the point of spending a total of $1 billion on these films [via GameRant]. The first sequel is set for a December 2021 release—and films 3 through 5 of the series are to be released on a biannual basis. Also, with New Zealand easing its restrictions regarding COVID-19, Cameron will soon be back at work, continuing to film the fifth and final installment.
These sets of sequels were announced practically a decade ago, but it’s taken so long for Cameron to perfect the mysterious technology in chapters 2-5. Cameron is rumored to be designing some kind of new 3D standard which has made post-production a longer process than usual. We are not quite sure what he is up to in terms of the technological aspect of these films, but rumors suggest that he is looking into having audiences experience glasses-free 3D.
In 2016, Cameron had spoken about his desire in attaining the technology needed to deliver a glasses-free 3D Avatar experience [via THR]:
"I'm going to push. Not only for better tools, workflow, high dynamic range, and high frame rates - the things we are working toward. I'm still very bullish on 3D, but we need brighter projection, and ultimately I think it can happen - with no glasses. We'll get there."
"We need to see the roll-out of these laser projection systems so that we can fully appreciate 3D through glasses in cinemas. Then, we need the rollout of autostereoscopic screens, large panel displays, where you don't need glasses at all. You have multiple discreet viewing angles and all that sort of thing. Anybody that's geeking out on 3D knows what I'm talking about. It's all possible. It's just a question of will happen or not."