Despite the coronavirus putting a damper on Hollywood productions at the moment, James Cameron is determined to bring the long-awaited sequel to his 2009 cinematic phenomenon Avatar to theaters as soon as possible.

The Titanic director said in a recent interview with Empire that the coronavirus is “putting a major crimp in our stride here. I want to get back to work on Avatar, which right now we’re not allowed to do under state emergency laws or rules. So it’s all on hold right now.”

Nevertheless, Cameron seems confident that the film’s December 2021 release will still be happening as according to plan. “On the bright side, New Zealand seems to have been very effective in controlling the virus…so there’s a very good chance that our shoot might be delayed a couple of months, but we can still do it. So that’s good news.” Cameron also stated that his visual effects team is working on as much as they can for the film from home.

Avatar was the world’s highest grossing film of all time for ten years until it was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Cameron confirmed that he would be making sequels in 2010 after the film’s wild success. Avatar 2, as it is currently referred to, takes place 12 years after the first film on the planet of Pandora. Returning cast includes Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, and Sigourney Weaver, although she apparently will be playing a different character than Dr. Grace Augustine, who was killed in the first film. New actors joining the cast include David Thewlis and Vin Diesel in yet to be disclosed roles, as well as former Titanic collaborator Kate Winslet.