James Cameron is expanding the universe of Avatar beyond the big screen, approving plans for four novels based on the adventures of the Na’vi on Pandora. The novels will accompany the release of the three sequels to the 2009 film.
According to HitFix, Cameron announced that Steven Charles Gould has been tapped to write the four novels. Gould’s books will act as adaptations of the movies and will expand on the stories and characters.
Gould’s previous works include Jumper, which Fox turned into an unsuccessful film back in 2008, and is the president of the Science Fiction Writers of America.
“Steven Gould is one of the shining lights in contemporary science fiction, and I’ve long admired the worlds and characters he’s created in his books and stories,” Cameron said in a statement, reports CinemaBlend. “ We’re very fortunate to have Steven bring his formidable talents to the Avatar universe. He is already working closely with me and the screenwriters to flesh out the expanding world of Avatar.”
Gould joins a stable of writers handpicked by Cameron to work on the future of Avatar. Earlier this month, the Oscar winner announced that Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Shane Salerno (Savages) will work on the screenplays for Avatar 2, 3 and 4. The sequels will be released each December between 2016 and 2018.
The original Avatar was released in 2009 and grossed a record $2.8 billion worldwide.
image: Amazon