James Cameron's AVATAR Sequels and Amazon's LORD OF THE RINGS Series Resume Production in New Zealand
According to a report from Deadline, New Zealand “health and safety production protocols have been endorsed by the national government, meaning production can restart in the country.” Some TV and movie shoots have already begun, following new safety protocols put in since the coronavirus pandemic. This guideline paves the way for the most highly-anticipated projects coming from New Zealand, including James Cameron’s Avatar sequels and the upcoming Lord of the Rings series coming to Amazon.
Cameron and Avatar producer Jon Landau were already in the midst of shooting pieces for the sequels when the pandemic shut things down, so they at least had a little to take home to their offices in California to work on while they were waiting to get back. The film’s Twitter page posted an insight into the film’s behind the scenes work recently, so fans could see what they are looking to get back to:
The Avatar films have release dates of December 17, 2021 for the first sequel; Avatar 3 in December 2023; Avatar 4 in December 2025; and Avatar 5 in December 2027. The films have a combined budget of $1 Billion.
The Lord of the Rings series was at the end of shooting the first two episodes when production was shut down in mid-March, when they went into an early hiatus, which had originally been planned for when the two episodes had wrapped. No statement has been made yet as to when they’ll be back to resume the remaining episodes, or the approved second season, but with restrictions lifted, it’s just a matter of time.
It’s nice to see the movies and shows we are excited about getting back to normal so we can enjoy them! What movie or series are you most excited about seeing return to production?