James Cameron reaches New Zealand to restart 'Avatar' sequels

Filmmaker James Cameron, along with over 50 crew members, has reached New Zealand to resume the shooting of the much-awaited Avatar sequels.
The unit reached Wellington, New Zealand, on Sunday for preparation in order to resume filming of the film series. The 54-member unit arrived by a chartered plane.

However, filming will not restart immediately because the team has to self-isolate first, reports variety.com.

"I want to get back to work on Avatar, which right now we're not allowed to do under state emergency laws or rules. So it's all on hold right now," Cameron said.

Producer Jon Landau took to Instagram to share that the crew would self-isolate as per guidelines laid down by the New Zealand government.

"Made it to New Zealand. Our 14-day government supervised self-isolation now begins. #avatarsequels #jamescameron #newzealand #airnewzealand #selfisolation," Landau posted.

Work on the Avatar sequels came to a halt in March with lockdown orders by the New Zealand government due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to variety.com, the borders of New Zealand are still officially closed and "Cameron, Landau and the foreign crew elements used a border exemption clause for foreigners considered of significant economic value".

The government of New Zealand has come up with a detailed set of guidelines for how productions should operate amid the pandemic. When Avatar filming restarts, it will be the first foreign movie to use New Zealand's production protocols.

Avatar 2 is currently slated for release on December 17, 2021.

It is believed that the sequel takes place 12 years after the events of the first movie. It follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) as he roams the planet of Pandora with the new family he has with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana).

The first part was a huge success, becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time when it released in 2009. Its worldwide record was broken last year by Avengers: Endgame.