Avatar: James Cameron’s four sequels will cost $1bn

Filming came to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic

James Cameron’s Avatar sequels are reportedly costing $1bn (£808m) to make.

The four sequels to the hugely successful 2009 science fiction adventure are due to restart filming in New Zealand in the coming weeks after shooting came to a halt in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, Deadline has shown just how much money is being put into the projects, as they revealed that the movies, which began production in 2017, were initially given a combined budget of more than $1bn.

This makes 20th Century Fox, which was bought by Disney in 2018, the first studio to spend $1bn up front on a movie series.

The original Avatar film, which starred Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver, is the second highest-grossing film of all time, having raked in £2.25bn ($2.78bn) in the global box office.

Last week, fans were given a sneak peak at Avatar 2, as it was revealed that Weaver would be returning to the franchise for all four sequels.

In a picture shared on Twitter taken before filming was suspended, the actor is seen alongside co-star Joel David Moore and producer Jon Landau.

The photo’s caption reads: “From the set of the Avatar sequels: Producer Jon Landau, Sigourney Weaver, and Joel David Moore revisited the Site 26 Shack to shoot scenes for the new films.”

Meanwhile, Weaver’s co-star Stephen Lang stated earlier this year that he “expected” Avatar 2 to surpass Avengers: Endgame as the highest-grossing film of all time.