JAMES CAMERON TO RETURN TO PANDORA

Just as Peter Jackson appears to be a captive of Middle Earth for the next several years, so too does James Cameron appear to be confined to Pandora — for an even longer period. Daily Variety reported today (Wednesday) that Cameron’s next two movies will be Avatar 2 and Avatar 3, the first to be released in December 2014; the second, in 2015. (Jackson’s Lord of the Rings prequels, The Hobbit 1 and 2, are due to be released in December 2012 and December 2013 respectively.) Variety said that the deal with Cameron was confirmed in a statement to the trade publication by Fox Filmed Entertainment chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman and by Cameron himself, who said, “I’m looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild. … It is a rare and remarkable opportunity when a filmmaker gets to build a fantasy world, and watch it grow, with the resources and partnership of a global media company.” The announcement appears to dash speculation that Cameron’s next film might be a new version of Cleopatra with Angelina Jolie in the title role.