Fans of the highly-anticipated sequel to "Avatar" are up for more bad news as it has recently been revealed that James Cameron has pushed back the movie to a December 2018 release.

Seven years ago, "Avatar" hit the big screens and came out with a massive fanbase that relied on the hopes of a sequel a year after the first film premiered. However, years passed and Cameron kept on pushing back the film to a further release date.

According to Movie News Guide, Cameron has once again decided to lay low on the launch of "Avatar 2." It was initially announced for a December 2017 debut but it will now be out sometime December 2018.

The outlet says one of the main aspects that affected the delay is the release of "Star Wars: Episode VIII," which moviegoers will see by the end of 2017. With a box office hit slaying theaters around the world, it appears that Cameron doesn't want to raise friendly competition with the "Star Wars" franchise.

A 2018 release date is deemed much more reasonable for Cameron and his team since "Avatar" has always been a difficult movie to make. With extremely technological themes and visually appealing scenery, fans can only expect a sequel to come several years after the other.

Meanwhile, Cameron's announcement during CinemaCon 2016 that he is planning to expand the world of "Avatar" gave fans hope for more content from the franchise as the director also revealed "Pandora: The World of Avatar," a theme park set to be part of Disney's Animal Kingdom.

According to Master Herald, the "Terminator" director appears to have struck a deal with Disney regarding the three other sequels that will come after "Avatar 2." It is unclear if the film is already halfway through development but many are expecting that the 2018 release is the last and final push.

Despite some doubts from moviegoers and fans of the hit franchise, "Avatar 2," "Avatar 3," "Avatar 4," and "Avatar 5" are expected to hit big screens in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023 respectively.