'Avatar 2' production to resume in New Zealand next week

The production on the ambitious Avatar sequel was halted in New Zealand in March, after the country announced restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, now, as the situation has improved in the island country, the national government has endorsed health and safety production protocols, thereby allowing film and TV shoots to resume.

To clarify things, Avatar co-producer Jon Landau posted a picture of the film's sets on Instagram.

He confirmed that they are set to restart the production as early as next week.

"Our Avatar sets are ready — and we couldn't be more excited to be headed back to New Zealand next week... can't wait to share more," the producer added.

Touted as one of the most groundbreaking science-fiction movies ever, Avatar is based in the fictional universe of Pandora, which humans are trying to colonize, in the mid-22nd century.

Released in 2009, the movie collected a whopping $2.79 billion at worldwide box office.

It held the record of being the highest-grossing film ever until Marvel's superhero movie Avengers: Endgame overtook that position last year.

Now, in Avatar 2, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Zoe Saldana will reprise their roles.

Others who have joined the cast include Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, and Cliff Curtis.

The sequel will reportedly take place years after the first movie. "The world is bigger than the first one, but essentially, it's a movie about family," Worthington said.