Like all big budget movie shoots, Avatar 2 was put on hiatus by the COVID-19 lockdowns. Unlike many countries, New Zealand decided to quickly impose a strict lockdown at the start of the pandemic. As such, to date, they've recorded only 1,139 cases of the virus and a mere 21 deaths. With transmission rates now very low, their lockdown has begun to be relaxed. This means that the various shoots taking place there, most notably the Avatar sequels and Amazon's The Lord of the Rings show, can begin to start back up.