Avatar sequels get confirmed release dates

The first sequel to blockbuster hit Avatar will be released in December 2014 with a second to follow 12 months later, 20th Century Fox has announced.

James Cameron will start writing the scripts early next year and said the films will be "self-contained stories that also fulfil a greater story arc". "We will not back off the throttle of Avatar's visual and emotional horse-power," the director continued. Avatar has earned $2.77 billion (£1.76 billion) at the global box office. It holds for the record for the highest-grossing film ever, having exceeded Titanic's international takings of $1.84 bn ( £1.16 bn) in January. Like the first film, the Avatar sequels will be set on the distant moon of Pandora and will be shot in 3 D.

Cameron, 56, has yet to decide whether he will make the films separately or back to back. In a news release, the Oscar-winning director said the Avatar sequels would "continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world".