'Avatar' ups its sequel count from two to three

Avatar fans, you’re in luck: You’re going to be seeing even more of the Na’vi than you originally anticipated. Producers announced today that in addition to two already-planned sequels to the 2009 juggernaut, there will be a fourth film in the franchise.

James Cameron has hired screenwriters Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Shane Salerno (Savages, Salinger) to collaborate with him on the screenplays for the next three films, which will be shot simultaneously starting next year. The release of the first sequel will be in December 2016, with the second to follow in December 2017, and the third a year later.

“Building upon the world we created with Avatar has been a rare and incredibly rewarding experience,” Cameron said in a statement. “In writing the new films, I’ve come to realize that Avatar’s world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent that two films would not be enough to capture everything I wanted to put on screen. And to help me continue to expand this universe, I’m pleased to bring aboard Amanda, Rick, Shane and Josh — all writers I’ve long admired -­ to join me in completing the films screenplays.”