James Cameron Says He’s ‘Refining’ The ‘Avatar’ Sequels

It’s hard to believe that it’s been six long years since the blockbuster film Avatar came into our lives. Despite tremendous critical and commercial success, the ambitious plan to produce three sequels to the acclaimed sci-fi film simultaneously has been met with numerous delays.

Avatar’s writer/director/producer James Cameron recently provided Entertainment Weekly with an update on the films, revealing that he’s currently in the process of doing another pass on all three scripts.

“Just refining,” Cameron said in reference to working on the scripts. “That’s in parallel with the design process. The design process is very mature at this point. We’ve been designing for about a year and a half. All the characters, settings and creatures are all pretty much [set].”

Does that mean the hotly anticipated sequel could find its way into theaters in late 2016 or early 2017?

Nope. The second Avatar, which in the past has been rumored to have both a 2014 and 2016 release date, is currently slated for a Christmas 2017 release. When asked if production has gotten easier for the sequel, the director answered with a resounding no.

“You have to challenge yourself,” Cameron said. “Obviously, expectations are going to be very high on these films, especially onAvatar 2, to make sure it wasn’t just some big fluke the first time. So we’ve got to deliver. I’ve created a nice rod for my own back, so they say.”

Avatar 2 is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 25, 2017.