It's a given that if James Cameron's "Avatar" is as big as expected then 20th Century Fox will want a sequel. Even though we won't know for a few more months if the highly anticipated 3-D sci-fi blockbuster is the hoped-for success, producer Jon Landau is already talking about the possibility of a follow-up.
Landau, who also worked with Cameron on "Titanic," told French magazine Le Film (brought to our attention and initially translated by /Film) that the world of "Avatar" is big enough that it should be explored further in subsequent films. He says "Avatar" only deals with the surface of the planet Pandora, and that a sequel could venture deeper into the interior.
After ten years developing "Avatar," Cameron should want to spend more time on Pandora too. He very likely knows the planet well beyond what we'll see of it in the first film. He could even do something that's less of a continuation and more of a separate, standalone tale involving another alien race that hopefully doesn't resemble the mutant offspring of a Smurf and a Thundercat.
There's also the little matter of Cameron being very good at sequels, having given us two of the best second installments ever made ("Aliens" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"). Three, if you want to argue the case for "Piranha II: The Spawning" (please, indulge us). Meanwhile, he's long teased us with the idea of doing another "True Lies" movie, and some fans of have ridiculously wished for a sequel to "Titanic" (Leo miraculously survived!).
"Avatar 2" will probably not be Cameron's next project however, even if the first film does "Titanic"-sized business. According to Landau, the director will finally bring Yukito Kishiro's manga "Battle Angel Alita" to the big screen, and there's also an underwater picture called "The Dive" in the works.
Back in July, Cameron hinted to MTV News that "Battle Angel Alita" might be his next project, noting that the technology he developed for "Avatar" will at last do the robot warrior story justice, cinematically.
As for the latter, which involves scuba diving, it sounds like it could actually be "Sanctum," a 3-D drama Cameron is producing with director Alister Grierson. You never know if something has been lost in translation when dealing with foreign film sites. Then again, I wouldn't put it past Cameron to have multiple underwater projects on his plate simultaneously.
Whatever Cameron does decide to work on next though, let's hope it's not another decade before we get to see something from the director.
Which of these projects would you like to see next from Cameron? Do you hope he continues to explore the world featured in "Avatar," or are you dying to finally see a film of "Battle Angel Alita"?
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