James Cameron’s next film is…..

Since the release of Avatar, Cameron has been deciding on which film he’ll direct next. He’s already attached to produce and/or direct several projects including a live-action Battle Angel Alita, and a 3D Cleopatra project (here). Cameron has recently mention that Avatar 2 won’t be his next (here), and will have to do a lot of tech-work before going into those films.

However, all that has changed.

In an official press release Fox Filmed Entertainment Chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman (via Coming Soon) that James Cameron will be making Avatar sequels next. “We had no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of ‘Avatar.’ This is a great day in the history of our company, and we thank Jim, Jon Landau, Rae Sanchini and all of their team and all of our Fox colleagues throughout the world, who have made this possible,” they said. The plan is to have Cameron work on the scripts next year, and hopes to get Avatar 2 into production later next year. Although, it’s still undecided if he’ll shoot each back-to-back as previously reported (here).

Many are skeptical about the idea of shooting both films back-to-back after the Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean sequels were panned by fans. However, Cameron promises that each film will have its own story and won’t end on a cliffhanger. “In the second and third films, which will be self contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of ‘Avatar’s’ visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world,” he said. Avatar was also one of the biggest films of last year, and Cameron is determined to top himself. “Our goal is to meet and exceed the global audience’s expectations for the richness of ‘Avatar’s’ visual world and the power of the storytelling,” he said.

Cameron hasn’t spoken much about where he wants to take the story, but has been adamant about exploring the oceans of Pandora (here), which he describes as “equally rich and diverse and crazy and imaginative” as the forests. he’s also mention (here) to shoot the sequel underwater, but it’s unknown if that’s his plan. Cameron has also pushed the boundaries of technology, and we can’t expect the same with the sequels.

Avatar 2 is tentatively scheduled to open in December of 2014.