The theatrical release of director James Cameron’s highly-anticipated Avatar sequel — a movie that will feature a high amount of underwater scenes with its actors freediving — has been pushed back from December 2021 to December 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an Instagram post issued this week, Cameron writes:
“As many of you are aware, due to COVID-19, we were forced into an unexpectedly lengthy delay in starting the live action filming we are currently doing in New Zealand. What most of you likely do not know is that the pandemic is still preventing us from being allowed to recommence most of our virtual production work on stages in Los Angeles. That work is just as critical to the films as the live action work.
“Prior to the COVID-19, everything was on track to bring you the first sequel in December of 2021. Unfortunately, due to the impact that the pandemic has had on our schedule it is no longer possible for us to make that date.”
Avatar 2 will feature many of the actors doing a lot of underwater work, according to Cameron.
Among the movie’s crew is Performance Freediving International Founder Kirk Krack, who spent two years working on the film, and returned home in late 2019 after stints on sets in Los Angeles and New Zealand.
Check out Kirk’s brief chat with DeeperBlue.com back in December about his work on the movie here as well as his “Top Tip” in this week’s episode of the DeeperBlue podcast.
