Entertainment

Kate Winslet and co-stars seen in Avatar sequel snap from set

Filming on the sequels to the 2009 James Cameron blockbuster was halted due to the coronavirus.
Filming on the sequels to the 2009 James Cameron blockbuster was halted due to the coronavirus. Filming on the sequels to the 2009 James Cameron blockbuster was halted due to the coronavirus.

Film fans have been treated to a first-look picture of filming from the upcoming Avatar sequels.

A photograph shared on Twitter shows Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet, Sam Worthington and Cliff Curtis smiling up at the camera while filming in a water tank.

The caption explained: “From the set of the sequels: @ZoeSaldana, Sam Worthington, Kate Winslet, and Cliff Curtis taking a break from underwater performance capture for a quick photo!

“Fun fact: Much of the performance capture took place in this 900,000 gallon tank, built specifically for the sequels”.

Filming on the expected slate of Avatar sequels has been halted due to coronavirus.

(Left to right) Sigourney Weaver, director James Cameron and Zoe Saldana at the world premiere of Avatar in London, held in December 2009
(Left to right) Sigourney Weaver, director James Cameron and Zoe Saldana at the world premiere of Avatar in London, held in December 2009 (Left to right) Sigourney Weaver, director James Cameron and Zoe Saldana at the world premiere of Avatar in London, held in December 2009 (Yui Mok/PA)

The film’s director, James Cameron, recently told Empire magazine: “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.

“We were about to shoot down in New Zealand, so that got pushed. We’re trying to get back to it as quick as we can.”

The original sci-fi epic from 2009 won three Oscars for its stunning visual effects, cinematography and art direction.

The film was set in 2154 and saw humans inhabit avatars so they could gain access to a planet called Pandora and starred Sigourney Weaver, Worthington and Saldana.

The first Avatar sequel is slated for a December 2021 release, pushed back from its original release date of December 2020.