Earlier this week Disney announced that Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: Episode VIII" would be pushed back seven months to Dec. 15, 2017. Fans quickly pointed out that this would put the film in direct competition with James Cameron's "Avatar 2," which the director hoped to release that same month.
However, The Wrap is now reporting that 20th Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment will not have a finished product by Christmas 2017. It's doubtful Disney would have moved "Star Wars" into that spot had it not known that. The studio is even working with Cameron to create an "Avatar" theme park attraction as part of Disney's Animal Kingdom.
A new release date has not been set by the studio, putting into question the planned December 2018 and 2019 releases for "Avatar 3" and "Avatar 4." It's possible that Fox might rejigger its schedule to release the films in the summer of 2018, 2019 and 2020. Cameron plans to film all three movies at the same time in New Zealand, making this plan feasible.
Stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang and Sigourney Weaver are all confirmed to be returning for "Avatar 2."
The franchise has been closely associated with "Star Wars" recently, as J.J. Abrams' "The Force Awakens" has been chasing the original 2009 "Avatar" for the top spot on the all-time box office list. "Avatar" remains the leader with $2.782 billion worldwide. "The Force Awakens" is unlikely to break "Avatar's" record, as it currently sits at $1.871 billion.
