New 'Avatar 2' images show James Cameron at work on huge practical sets

Avatar 2 producer Jon Landau has shared another new look at the upcoming sequel, revealing the huge scale of James Cameron’s next sci-fi blockbuster

The two photos, shared on Landau’s Instagram account, show the High Camp Bio Lab set on the sound stages of the Stone Street Studio in Wellington, New Zealand, where the film is currently in production.

The second shows writer-director Cameron ‘studying the set’ before filming. The post also includes a salute to the craftsmanship of the Kiwi crew who designed and built the set.

The photos were later shared on the official Avatar Twitter account.

How, precisely, the High Camp Bio Lab location will feature in the story of the long-awaited sequel we don’t yet know. The film, co-written by James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno, takes place eight years after the events of 2009’s Avatar on the alien world on Pandora, the home planet of the Na’vi.

Read more: Avatar 2 set photo shows Kate Winslet in the water

Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully, now permanently existing in his Na’vi form, has a family with Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri, and their children will play an important role in the film and the other forthcoming sequels.

The human-led RDA (Resources Development Administration), who led the Avatar programme, mined the planet for unobtanium, and were expelled from Pandora by the Na’vi, also return in the sequel.

The long-delayed film, now coming in 2022, will explore the oceans of Pandora and will feature groundbreaking underwater performance capture.

Avatar 2 is due for release in December, 2022.

Avatar 3 will arrive 20 December, 2024, Avatar 4 on 18 December, 2026, and Avatar 5 on 22 December, 2028.