First Published: January 15, 2014 9:40 AM EST Credit: Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- 
Caption Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington attend the ‘Avatar’ Los Angeles premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on December 16, 2009 in HollywoodJake Sully & Neytiri are back for three more “Avatar” sequels!
Director James Cameron announced that Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana will reprise their roles from the 2009 blockbuster in three more movies.
“Jake Sully is rare combination of passion, strength, street smarts and soul, which requires a lot from an actor. Sam brought to the role a combination of sensitivity, vulnerability and strength,” Cameron said in a statement.
PHOTOS: Sexy Sci-Fi Siren Zoe Saldana
“Zoe captured every aspect of the character I envisioned, bringing to Neytiri a mix of delicacy, fierceness and incredible physicality. I am beyond pleased they’ll be returning with us to Pandora,” his statement continued.
Stephen Lang, who played mad Marine Colonel Quaritch in the 2009 film (and appeared to have died at the end of the movie), was the first star to sign on for more “Avatar.”
The plot of the new films is being kept under wraps, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, Jake and Neytiri have children in the films.
WATCH: Zoe Saldana: How Are The Avatar Sequels Coming Along?
The first sequel will hit theaters in December 2016, with the second to follow in December 2017, and the third a year later.
-- Jesse Spero
Copyright 2014 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
