James Cameron Explains Yet Another ‘Avatar 2’ Delay Ahead Of Disney Park Opening

Those hoping for a fun-filled Christmas in 2018 thanks to the release of the “Avatar 2” movie will be sadly disappointed. The highly anticipated film has been pushed back again.

During a chat with the Toronto Star, director James Cameron explained the reason behind the delay. “Well, 2018 is not happening. We haven’t announced a firm release date,” the director said of the sequel that was initially supposed to release in 2014.

The reason behind the delays is because Cameron is not simply shooting one sequel. “What people have to understand is that this is a cadence of releases. So, we’re not making Avatar 2—we’re making Avatar 2, 3, 4 and 5. It’s an epic undertaking,” Cameron explained.

The award-winning director announced the delay ahead of the grand opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar. A land based on the motion picture is expected to open this summer at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida.

The section of the park will feature two rides, one called Na’vi River Journey, which is a family friendly excursion that takes guest through a bioluminescent rainforest. The other ride is the Avatar Flight of Passage in which guests get to ride a banshee on a trip that overlooks Pandora.

READ: Disney plans to open more more rides and attractions in 2017

Despite the delay that is sure to upset fans of the film, Cameron doesn’t believe the time frame he is taking to make the movie is unreasonable.

“It took us four-and-a-half years to make one movie and now we’re making four. We’re full tilt boogie right now. This is my day job and pretty soon we'll be 24-7. We’re pretty well designed on all our creatures and sets,” he explained.

Although Cameron has confirmed the delay for “Avatar 2,” it is unclear whether the follow-up films “Avatar 3,” “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5” will be pushed back.