James Cameron Making Four ‘Avatar’ Sequels

She's surprised by the news as well. - Photo from The Wrap

James Cameron will make four “Avatar” sequels, promising that the films will start hitting theaters in 2018.

The creator of the original “Avatar,” the 2009 fantasy epic that remains the all-time worldwide box office champion, said that his vision for a followup has expanded over time.

He first envisioned two sequels. But after meeting with a team of four screenwriters and a group of “some of the top artists and designers in the world,” he realized that he had way too much material for just two films. He initially decided on three sequels, then jumped to four.

“So far, what I am seeing in pure imagination is far beyond the first film,” Cameron said. He said that very few people have seen the initial concepts, but a select few have been left “speechless” by what they saw.

“We have decided to embark on a truly massive cinematic project, making four epic films, each of which stands alone but together forms a complete saga.” 


Read the rest at Variety:

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/james-cameron-avatar-1201753774/


And then because this was exactly my reaction when I heard...

‘Avatar’ Sequel Overload: Twitter Responds With a Collective ‘Really?’



Text from Variety

How Blackness is handled

Blackness seems to be handled in three distinct ways in science fiction and fantasy (and probably in media overall). Let's explore below.

Photo from Quora* 

Blackness is Hidden


Some would argue that blackness being hidden is a negative thing. For example with Star Wars: The Force Awakens's Maz Kanata, some fans wanted to see Lupita Nyong'o as she is and not a CGI creature in her place. I tend to disagree with this line of thinking. Scifi/fantasy has a ton of non-human characters and someone has to have the privilege of playing them so why not one of us? Additionally, many of the roles are based on long standing characters that were always not human. The problem arises when there are no other depictions of people of color to go along with it, which is too often the case.

Examples: Maz Kanata, Neytri of Avatar, Gamora of Guardians of the Galaxy



Blackness is a Non-Issue


This seems to be the most popular take on blackness. Sometimes it's because the story takes place in a post (or non) racial world, sometimes it's because the book/movie/show just decided not to address it. The characters just happens to be black in these cases. I have noticed that this take on blackness tends to correspond with a different sort of division being a point of contention. Aliens versus humans, mutants versus humans, etc. Race is the least of their concerns.

Examples: Most of them frankly, but Fish of Gotham, Molly of Extant, Annie of Being Human, Storm of X-Men (in the movies at least), the list goes on.


Blackness is Part of the Story


We haven't gotten to a point where we are racially colorblind- depictions of interracial relationships are still shown as progressive and people of color as headliners are still rare. Done correctly, including race can enrich a story, give depth to characters and speak to larger universe truths. For Scifi/Fantasy that takes place in the past or in contemporaneous to present day times, it feels more honest to incorporate race in some way. It's not as though we don't notice it, and for people of color it can be a point of pride to have our cultures included.

Examples: The ladies of Sleepy Hollow, Tituba of Salem



* I don't know if race was directly addressed in The Matrix, but I do know the Oracle was awesome.