Avatar crew to restart filming in New Zealand

Avatar crew to restart filming in New Zealand

The production crew of the upcoming Avatar sequels have finished their two week quarantine in New Zealand and will restart shooting.

Francis Maguire reports.

The international crew filming sequels for sci-fi blockbuster 'Avatar' are ready to return to work in New Zealand.

That after the team cleared two weeks of quarantine on Sunday (June 14).

Filming of the 'Avatar' sequels was suspended in March.

But with New Zealand's borders still closed to foreigners, the government gave special permission for 55 'Avatar' crew members to fly in on May 31.

Producer Jon Landau walked amongst crowds in Wellington on Sunday.

"We were trapped here.

We couldn't intermingle with each other, let alone go outside." He told reporters the film production was ready to spend millions in the country over the next few months.

New Zealand's film industry is worth more than NZ$3 billion a year.

A six-month international film can create an estimated 3,000 jobs.

James Cameron's 'Avatar' was released in 2009 and is the second highest-grossing movie of all time.

The second installment is scheduled to debut in December 2021, followed by three others.