It's been years since James Cameron's global smash hit "Avatar" premiered in theaters and won the hearts of viewers and critics. Unfortunately, it appears fans have to wait longer for "Avatar 2" as the release date has been moved from 2017 to 2018.

According to reports, the studio decided to move "Avatar 2" release date from December 2017 to 2018 to avoid a collision with "Star Wars: Episode VIII," which has been confirmed to premiere on Dec. 15, 2017.

However, when asked why the movie was pushed back a full year, 20^th Century Fox chairman CEO Jim Gianopulos said, "Jim Cameron has his own pace."

In an interview with Variety, Cameron himself expressed that there is still no change in the target date, but they will move it if necessary.

"We haven't moved that target yet, but we will if we need to. The important thing for me is not when the first one comes out but the cadence of the release pattern," Cameron told Variety. "I want them to be released as close together as possible. If it's an annual appointment to show up at Christmas, I want to make sure that we're able to fulfill on that promise."

"Avatar 2" is just one of the four subsequent films confirmed for the sci-fi fantasy epic. The next films are expected to come out in 2020, 2022 and 2023.

"Avatar 2" will retain the original cast members, including Sam Worthington as Jake Sully and Zoe Saldana as Neytiri. According to Digital Spy, both Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang will return to "Avatar 2" despite the fact that both their characters died in the first film.

In a 2010 interview, Lang said, "It's not over while I've still got DNA." He will reprise his character in three of the other sequels. As for Weaver, she will not be playing the same character, Dr. Grace Augustine, in the next four movies.

The sophomore outing will pick up several years after the events in "Avatar." By this time, Sully is now the chieftain of the Na'vi clan and Neytiri is the high priestess. The upcoming movie will also explore the vast Pandora landscape, especially its oceans.