Weta Digital start work on visual effects on Avatar 2

31 July 2017

Weta Digital has started working on the visual effects for 'Avatar 2'.

Avatar creator James Cameron

James Cameron's hotly anticipated follow-ups to the 2009 fantasy film have been repeatedly delayed but now Variety revealed the digital company has started work on the visual effects for the upcoming sequel.

Many speculate this could mean much of the live-action and motion-capture shooting has been completed and now Weta will create the digital side of the movies.

Cameron said: "What Joe Letteri and Weta Digital bring to these stories is impossible to quantify. Since we made 'Avatar', Weta continued to prove themselves as doing the best CG animation, the most human, the most alive, the most photo-realistic effects in the world."

Sigourney Weaver - who starred in the 2009 original - recently revealed preparations have already started to make the much-anticipated follow-up movie.

The 67-year-old sci-fi legend shared: "We're starting! We're starting training, and we're starting - hmm, I probably can't say anything. We will be actually shooting it by the fall."

The original 'Avatar' movie - which also starred Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana - grossed $2.7 billion at the global box office, and received widespread praise from movie critics.

Meanwhile, Cameron previously claimed he is not worried about the delays to the release of the next 'Avatar' movie.

The director intends to make four sequels in total, but there have been significant delays to his original plans, meaning fans have been kept waiting for years for the next instalment in the franchise.

In April, Cameron took to Facebook to announce that "concurrent production on four sequels" has begun and the first movie will be released in 2020, followed by the other three in 20121, 2024 and 2025.

He wrote: "Great to be working with the best team in the business! Avatar takes flight as we begin concurrent production on four sequels. The journey continues December 18, 2020, December 17, 2021, December 20, 2024 and December 19, 2025!"