Written by Tom Deehan on Sep 26, 2017. Posted in On Location / Production News

Filming begins for James Cameron’s Avatar sequels with USD1 billion budget

Principal photography is now underway for James Cameron's Avatar 2 at Manhattan Beach, California. The project is being shot back-to-back with the third, fourth and fifth installments in the Avatar series. To complete the gargantuan task of shooting four films without rest, Cameron has been issued a budget of USD1 billion.

Avatar, Avatar 2, Manhattan Beach, California, Film, Filming, Locations, The Location Guide, News, Article, Editorial, Publishing, Writing, Production, Industry, James CameronProduction on Avatar 2 has been delayed several times, with previous reports scheduling an early 2016 shoot date in New Zealand. The first of the planned sequels has a tentative release of December 2020, with subsequent releases in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

With an unparalleled combined spend, the Avatar sequels will overtake the USD675 million spent to complete work on Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy.

Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment will be funding the projects in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and TSG Entertainment.

By filming in California, the Avatar sequels will have access to the state’s Film & Television Tax Credit Programme 2.0. With a USD330 million fund to disperse each year, the programme provides feature films with 20% tax credit on locally incurred costs of up to USD100 million.

Manhattan beach has been featured in a variety of productions including James Ponsoldt’s The Circle and the TNT television series, The Last Ship.

Development on the Avatar series began in 1994, with the first film being released 15 years later. Avatar pioneered the modern use of 3D technology in cinema and became the highest grossing film of all time, taking in just over USD2.7 billion at the global box office.

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