Back in 2009, James Cameron released Avatar, a tiny IMAX film that practically revolutionized visual effects. Since then, he and 20th Century Fox announced that there would be three sequels that would be released in the coming years. However, Avatar 2 has experienced quite a few delays in the past, forcing these release dates to be pushed back. And now the sequel is experiencing yet another not-so-surprising delay as reports are coming in that Avatar 2 won’t be facing Star Wars: Episode VIII in a mega geek showdown for box office glory.

The latest delay comes after Disney announced that they are pushing back the release of Star Wars: Episode VIII by seven months from its May 2017 release to December 2017, just a few days before Avatar 2‘s Christmas Day release. More on the story below.

The Wrap, who was the first to report on the news, was unable to confirm why Fox made the delay announcement. It’s not clear if the delay will also have an effect on the subsequent sequels, which are to be released in 2018 and 2019. The studio has yet to announce a new release date for Avatar 2. However, the report still mentions that Cameron will shoot all three films at the same time in New Zealand, and that construction and computer animation work is in the very early stages of development. No start date has been announced yet. Cameron and Jon Landau are producing through Lightstorm Entertainment.

Suspected reasons for Avatar 2‘s delays have varied. Some have speculated that Disney moving Star Wars: Episode VIII to a December release was premeditated. The studio wouldn’t deliberately position themselves against another film like Avatar 2, which would only hurt their box office numbers and their pick of IMAX screens.

Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana signed on for sequels in 2014.

As for what we could see in these sequels, it has been reported that the film would make a return to Pandora and will take audiences underwater. Cameron’s deep sea explorations and documentaries will surely have a direct connection to the underwater storytelling of Avatar 2. Any more meaningful plot details are currently being kept under wraps.

There is no way of knowing when Fox will announce the new release date. But if Cameron continues on planning to film the three films all at once, then it’s safe to say that Fox will probably stick to releasing these sequels a year apart.

We will keep you posted on any developing news surrounding the Avatar sequels.

[Source: The Wrap]