With James Cameron currently working away on his four Avatar sequels, we’re all largely still pondering just why the legendary director really needs to be doing four sequels. Well, Sigourney Weaver has moved to try and answer that very question.

Speaking to EW, Weaver, who will be reprising her Dr. Grace Augustine role for the follow-ups, explained, “There’s a very good reason why it turned out to be four sequels. Having read all four of them, I think they’re absolutely extraordinary and worth the wait. These films are very much about the peril of this beautiful planets, and he is continuing the same themes of greed and callousness of the corporations and plight of the indigenous people. At this point, after a long and very satisfying career – I can’t believe it’s been 40 years, but anyway – I’m very excited to be able to work on these four stories. I can really, really appreciate it.”

Weaver continued, “It’s the most ambitious project by far I’ve ever been involved in, and the most moving, the most astonishing, beautiful. I think all of us who get to be a part of it are just in awe when we see the artwork. It’s just incredible to be living now when we can bring this kind of film experience to the public. Because I think as much as Avatar changed what people want in a film experience, this goes a hundred times farther.”

Ambitious? Undoubtedly. Needed? Not quite. Still, Jim Cameron has deemed it necessary to give us four Avatar sequels, and that is exactly what we’ll get. With all four movies being done back-to-back-to-back-to-back, pre-production has been happening over in New Zealand since April, with shooting currently set to commence on September 25th.

As well as Weaver, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, and Joel David Moore will be returning for these sequels, and they’re joined by Cliff Curtis and Oona Chaplin.

After previous release dates were pushed back several times, the current plan is for Avatar 2 to arrive in December 2020, Avatar 3 for December 2021, Avatar 4 for December 2024, and Avatar 5 for December 2025.

Regardless of the largely paper-thin plot, Avatar was unquestionably a huge movie. Being the first picture to really embrace, refresh, and reinvent the concept of 3D filmmaking since the initial 3D semi-boom of the 1980s, Avatar was a must-see cinema experience just for how unique and game-changing it was. As such, the 2009 release took home a whopping $2.7 billion in global box office, which still has Avatar easily sat as the highest grossing film in worldwide cinema history.

But still, four sequels…?