John Oliver mocks Avatar sequels: ‘Take your time on those, James Cameron. No one gives a s***’

Long-awaited sci-fi sequels have faced numerous delays over the past decade

Comedian John Oliver ridiculed James Cameron’s forthcoming Avatar sequels during the latest episode of Last Week Tonight.

The hotly anticipated sci-fi sequels – which follow on from the smash hit 2009 film Avatar – have faced extensive delays over the past decade, with the second film in the franchise still yet to be released.

Speaking on his HBO Max topical comedy series, Oliver was discussing broken climate change pledges when he slipped in a dig at Cameron’s films.

“There are things it’s ok to take a decade on and not deliver on, the Avatar sequels, for instance,” he quipped. “Take your time on those, James Cameron. No one gives a s***.”

“I will give anyone in this audience $1,000 right now if they remember either of these characters’ names,” he said, referring to a picture of Avatar’s two lead characters.

In the original Avatar, Sam Worthington played Jake Skully, a soldier who is given the chance to inhabit an artificial “avatar” body in order to blend in with the local population on the war-torn planet of Pandora.

Zoe Saldana plays Neytiri, a member of the local tribe of Na’vi whom Jake falls in love with.

Avatar 2 is scheduled for release on 16 December, 2022, with subsequent sequels expected to arrive in 2024, 2026 and 2028.