As Avatar 2 ramps up to start filming again, James Cameron is going into a 14-day government supervised quarantine to reduce the chances of spreading the coronavirus on set.The self-isolation will take place on location in New Zealand, where production will resume on the long-anticipated Avatar sequels. Producer Jon Landau shared a photo to his Instagram, depicting himself and Cameron arriving in Wellington as they gear up for the next two weeks:

Technically, New Zealand borders are still closed. But an exception was made for Cameron, Landau, and other crew members due to the fact that their work is considered to have “significant economic value.” Well, they aren’t kidding. The first Avatar movie grossed $2.79 billion worldwide, making it the highest grossing movie in history up until that point. Plus, movie production started to creep back in New Zealand starting in May, so a mid-June shooting date isn’t preposterous.

Despite the delays, Cameron is still set on a December 2021 release date. It might just be possible. Last December, Cameron told Variety that motion capture for sequels 2 and 3 had been completed, along with most of the live action footage. This last stretch in New Zealand is the finishing puzzle piece to getting that first sequel out by 2021. Ultimately, it will come down to whether those few lost months will offset the rest of post-production. As of now, we still have a new Avatar movie coming by December of next year. Merry Christmas to us.

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