In an era when films are being made based on franchise potential and a popular hit can have a third entry lined up before the sequel is even out, James Cameron may have just gone and upped the ante, with word that Avatar will be getting not one, not two, but three sequels, all to be shot concurrently.
Star Sigourney Weaver casually dropped the news in a recent interview, confirming Cameron's plans to expand what was to be a trilogy into a 4-part saga, shot all at the same time, not unlike how the Pirates of the Caribbean and Back to the Future sequels were handled.
Weaver was short on details, giving no indication of when filming would start, or what the release strategy for the films will be like. "I just show up," she told showbiz411, which might surprise everyone who saw the first movie since her character — you know — died. But this is science fiction after all, so Weaver is really only a clone/android/revival-potion away from returning to the story.
Considering that the first film is the biggest box-office earner of all time, a sequel was inevitable, but having the gall to plan a whole trilogy of new films implies no lack of confidence on Cameron's part. The bigger the time gap between parts one and two, the greater the technological improvement the CG-dominated sequel will be, though one has to imagine the upgrades will be more incremental for 3 and 4.
