Production on the much anticipated James Cameron sequel, Avatar 2 is set to commence in New Zealand, producer Jon Landau announced on Instagram. “Our #Avatar sets are ready — and we couldn’t be more excited to be headed back to New Zealand next week,” he said. Landau shared a picture from the sets of the sequel stating that the production has begun and could be followed by shooting ahead.

Earlier, Landau shared a cast photo from Avatar 2 sets. It features Avatar leads Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana with new members, Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis. They were seen dipped in a pool with their motion capture gear on. He captioned the picture with, “Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis enjoying a moment at the surface of the 900,000 gallon performance capture tank that we built for the Avatar sequels.”

This means Avatar 2 will be the first major Hollywood title to start filming again in the wake of the industry-wide production shutdown in March due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The production has also released some concept photos of the sequel, which will explore the oceans of Pandora. Avatar 2 is the sequel to Cameron’s 2009 3D hit movie and it will go to the theatres on 17 December 2021.