Avatar 2

2009 feels like a long time ago now, but cast your mind back and you might remember that little phenomenon called Avatar, James Cameron's CG smash hit which still holds the record for highest box-office gross ever with a comfortable margin of $600 million over the director's other smash-hit, Titanic.

Since then, Cameron has teased us with a promised two sequels, later bumping that up to three, and the again to four, which are set to film back-to-back. It's a tale of delays and woe, but it still looks like Avatar 2 is coming, eventually...

Here's everything you need to know as you wait to return to the alien landscape of Pandora:

The story of the development of Avatar 2 (which probably won't be its final name) is one of delays. Filming was expected to finally begin in April of 2016 but that just didn't happen. Then it was announced in January 2017 that work on the motion capture would be starting in August 2017.

It could be the case that now the wheels are finally in motion we'll be getting Avatar's flying at us as fast as we can bat them away.

"The thing is, my focus isn't on Avatar 2. My focus is on Avatar 2, 3, 4 and 5 equally. That's exactly how I'm approaching it. They've all been developed equally," Cameron told The Daily Beast.

"I've just finished the script to Avatar 5. I'm now starting the process of active prep. I'll be working with the actors in the capture volume in August, so I'm booked in production every day between now and then."

Avatar 2 release date: Someday, somehow

The movie was originally scheduled for release in December 2014, with the third film arriving in December 2015, which of course also didn't happen. After the fourth film was added to the plans, they were pushed back to December 2016, 2017 and 2018 releases.

Then, in January 2015, it was announced that Avatar 2 would now be coming in December 2017, with Cameron saying that the "very involved" writing process was to blame for the wait.

But the story doesn't end there. This January, Avatar 2 was delayed again, the wide assumption being that it ran scared after Star Wars Episode 8 slipped from May to December 2017.

The current official release dates are December 18, 2020, for Avatar 2, December 17, 2021, for Avatar 3, December 20, 2024, for Avatar 4 and December 19, 2025, for Avatar 5. Production will allegedly begin on September 25, 2017.

Cameron has generally been distinctly non-committal about the delays.

"The important thing for me is not when the first one comes out but the cadence of the release pattern," He told Variety.

"I want them to be released as close together as possible. If it's an annual appointment to show up at Christmas, I want to make sure that we're able to fulfil on that promise."