As preparation for production continues for the 'Avatar' sequels, with James Cameron apparently having written at least the outline of the next three movies, there will be a lot of speculation over the next few years as to what the theme of the second 'Avatar' movie will be.
Naturally enough, we won't find out for a very long time yet; the level of secrecy that will surround this multi-million dollar sequel, which will be expected to make billions at the box office, will be intense. With filming not expected to begin for almost a year, according to the indications of Sam Worthington, and the movie's release not scheduled until 2016, there will be a long wait for 'Avatar' fans to find out what the second movie in the series is about.
But that doesn't prevent us from speculating! One of the most interesting aspects of the second movie for me, and perhaps one of the most telling indications that has been given so far, is that James Cameron has stated that 'Avatar 2' might not actually feature the 'Avatar' name in its title. Although Cameron has already confirmed that the remaining 'Avatar' movies will continue and conclude the story of Jake and Neytiri, it seems that the 'Avatar' brand name may not appear in the second movie's title, and one would assume the remaining movies as well.
This would suggest to me that animating a physical 'Avatar', which was obviously such a big part of the first movie, may not play much of a part in the sequels, in fact it might not occur at all. As this was the innovation of the first movie, James Cameron might have more tricks up his sleeve to surprise the audience.
The other issue is whether or not the movie will feature another full on conflict between the human race and the Na'vi. Looking back at Cameron's directorial history, one might suggest that the original 'Terminator' movie and 'Terminator II: Judgment Day' are rather similar, and the latter really builds on the former by utilising its much bigger budget, without departing too much from the original in plot terms. However, it is notable that Cameron ditched the 'Terminator' franchise after the second movie, and hasn't been ostensibly keen to make the same movie over and over again for the sake of commercial success, and of course there were no problems with budget for the original 'Avatar'.
Thus, I think we will see a big divergence in the second 'Avatar' movie from the original, with both themes and perhaps some of the technology differing from the original movie. It has been suggested that underwater scenes will form a big part of 'Avatar 2', so we could see some sort of marine conflict take place. But don't expect more of the same storyline and dynamics, 'Avatar 2' will probably feature entirely new plotlines and content.
