Sigourney Weaver was recently quoted in an interview with Showbiz 411 as saying that not only will there be three (yes, three!) sequels to the hit Avatar, but they will be filming all at the same time. Filming back to back sequels are not a new process. The Matrix first did it, followed by the Lord of The Rings trilogy. But what does this have to say about the prospects of the recently announced Avatar land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom?
Rumors have been circulating for months that the Avatar project at Disney was dead in the water, or at least in trouble. Tales of James Cameron wanting to spend more money and take more land than Disney wanted to give began leaking out. Mix that up with no visual progress being made in Animal Kingdom to start construction, and rumors got out of control.
Earlier this year Chairman of Disney Parks Tom Skaggs put some of those rumors to rest by going on record to say that Avatar was still going to happen.
Today comes word that all three Avatar films will film at the same time as one continuous shoot. The first of the sequels are due out in 2014. It’s very likely that the other two sequels could be released each consecutive Christmas until the final one in 2016.
What does this mean for the Disney expansion? With three sequels filming, it means that there will be a film in 2015 when the proposed expansion is set to open. Plus, the park could take full advantage of the final film being released and do a huge extravagant event in the park. Much like Universal did for the final film in the Harry Potter franchise, a special event could be planned around the final film.
But the biggest thing that could come from three films is that interest in the expansion could be renewed by fans and guests. With the promise if three more films, all filming at once, many fans will be eager to see progress made at Animal Kingdom. Already fans are buzzing about the possibility of seeing dragons after Disney officials were spotted testing in the skies of California. It could prove to be a very fun time to be a theme park fan.
