Hollywood director, James Cameron’s long-awaited Avatar 2 has been delayed again, James Cameron announced on Tuesday.

The news came as a shock to fans of the original 2009 film who hoped to see the next instalments soon.

The delay comes as Disney -who has just acquired Fox- announced their upcoming movie release dates.

As Disney plans three new movies in the Star Wars trilogy, Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5 have been delayed.

In addition to announcing the dealy, James Cameron confirmed that actress Michelle Yeoh will join the cast as Dr Karina Mogue.

Returning to their roles will be Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, and Sigourney Weaver as Dr Grace Augustine.

It is believed that Kate Winslet, Vin Diesel, and Oona Chaplin will join the cast.

Avatar 2 was originally set for a December 18, 2020, release date. It has now been rescheduled for release on December 17, 2021. Avatar 3 is rescheduled until 2023, Avatar 4 for 2025, and Avatar 5 is set for release in 2027.

See James Cameron’s tweet about the new Avatar 2 release date below.

Busy on set, so no time to hang around but just dropping in to share the news — Sivako! @OfficialAvatar https://t.co/KpCzxmBPMd

— James Cameron (@JimCameron) May 7, 2019