#releasing the entire season at once takes away the anticipation and excitement of eagerly awaiting the next episode

[unholy-fabray]

god i wish streaming services would bring back the weekly episode release schedule for tv shows. miss her every damn day xx

[shazzeaslightnovels]

December 2021

(Artist: Saki Ukai | Series: Isekai Goumon Hime)

No. of Reviews: 1

Once again, I have been unmotivated to read light novels. Instead, I’ve been watching Fate/Grand Order playthroughs on YouTube because I watched the Babylonia anime last month and it was way better than I expected it to be so I wanted to finally experience the game. It’s a bit of an uneven experience but I’m really enjoying it so far. I’m up to Lostbelt 3 but my favourite chapters so far have been Epic of Remnant 1 & 4. There are a couple of other reasons that I only got around to 1 volume this month: we got a new puppy and I’ve been spending a lot of my time on playing and toilet training, and I’m procrastinating heavily on the next volume of Sword Oratoria which is a very long volume. I’m going to try to finish it soon.

Also, I did watch the Sword Art Online Progressive movie this month and I really liked it. It fully brought out the charm of the series with gorgeous animation and the characters being such big dorks. I love Mito as well and I love that she’s a fully realised character with her own arc whose presence changes Asuna’s narrative and her dynamic with Kirito. Like, because Asuna had formed a party Mito prior to meeting Kirito, he doesn’t teach her how to play the game because she already knows. I like that a lot and there’s a lot of other small additions which helped to make the story even better. I highly recommend it and I’m excited for the sequel.

Usually I do a top 10 light novels post and a recommendations post but there hasn’t been any change in the ranking this year and the only new series that I want to recommend people is Kami wa Game ni Ueteiru. It’s just been a pretty bad year in new light novel releases for me and I hope next year is better.

Now, onto the anime!

Irina: I didn’t like this as much as I anticipated I would. I liked it well enough but I wasn’t excited to watch a new episode each week and I found myself zoning out when watching it a lot. It’s a fine adaptation and a fine anime but it didn’t blow me away or anything.

Ranking of Kings: SO GOOD. That is all.

86 Season 2: When I was watching the first season, the thing that impresed me the most was the cinematography and story-telling and that has not changed in the second season. The cinematography is just so gorgeous and it really boosts every other element of the show and makes them so much more enjoyable. It’s an already interesting story being elevated to a whole new level thanks to the stunning visuals and I enjoy it a lot. I do miss Lena but I like how the first season was kind of her narrative and character arc while the second one is Shin’s. I actully think it’s a bit of a good thing that the show has been able to make delays because all too often nowadays I hear of horror stories of overwork in animation and it’s good that the staff are able to take the time to make the episodes as good as they are. I eagerly await the final episodes of the season.

Tropical Rouge Precure: Picked this one up this month because I wanted something to calm my nerves and Healin’ Good did a great job with that when I watched it a few months ago. It took me a little while to warm up to this one, mostly because I kept on negatively comparing it to Healin’ Good and Heartcatch in my head, but I got hooked at around episode 15. It’s just really fun and I love Laura and her character arc. I will say that I do think that one’s enjoyment with the series is dependent on how much they like Laura because she really gets the most focus and development out of the entire cast so I don’t think it would be nearly as fun if the person watching did not like Laura. Like I said, I love her and I think a large part of that comes down to Rina Hidaka’s charismatic performance. I like Asuka and Minori a lot as well, Manatsu has her occasional moments and Sango is great when she’s actually given something to do, which is all too rare. I’m really enjoying it and I hope it has a strong ending.

I am currently watching The Aquatope on White Sand and am enjoying it a lot but I haven’t finish it yet. I’ll be talking about my favourite series next month so that I can catch up on some series that I missed while they were airing beforehand. Next season, I’ll be picking up the new seasons of PriConne and Vanitas. Hopefully, I’ll also be able to watch Sasaki and Miyano as I’m a big fan of the manga.

List of Reviews:

Hataraku Maou-sama! 15

Next year, my light novel resolution is to read 3-5 volumes a month. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. There aren’t any new releases that I’m interested in next month but I have so many recent ones that I have to catch up on so hopefully I’ll get the chance to.

Happy New Years!

[geneticandunattainable]

We’ve finally come to the top ten songs of 2017, and it’s been quite a ride.  My apologies for the delay in getting these published, but I remain convinced these next ten songs are well worth the wait.  Surprising no one, women dominate the top of this year’s list, with seven of the top ten songs featuring or led by female artists.  A surprise to many, including myself, is that four of the ten songs also come from artists with ties to North Carolina.  It would not have been possible for me to survive 2017 without these songs, and I’ve listened to all of them hundreds of times. You may have different reactions to this batch, but I have a hunch you’re going to be blown away.

10. Now, Now – “SGL” Minnesota is underrated as an incubator for music, but Now, Now is an exciting duo coming out of Minneapolis.  Cacie Dalager handles the vocals, guitar, and keyboard, while Bradley Hale focuses on the drums and backing vocals, but this is just the latest iteration of a band that’s been around for fifteen years.  Dalager and Hale famously met as classmates in high school marching band, but the sound on this record is light years beyond the work of teenagers.  They hadn’t released any new material in five years before last May, so music blogs were excited to have this slice of musical brilliance come out of nowhere.  “SGL” was a burst of fresh air right in time for summer last year, and it’s pop music at its absolute purest.  This is the kind of music that gets your heart pumping, music that’s meant for summers at the lake or bonfires on the beach.  The acronym from the title refers to “Shotgun Lover,” and has nothing do with marriage or firearms; Dalager is looking to put some heat on a relationship that started off as a simple fling.  Many of the elements on display here likely come across as familiar, like the clipped acoustic guitar progression, the slowly-building layers of atmospheric effects, and the subtle vocal manipulations. But when the drums kick in and she hits the chorus, you can’t help but find yourself swept along for the ride - perhaps sitting shotgun?  

9. K. Flay – “Blood in the Cut” Talk about the unlikeliest path to music - rapper/artist K. Flay started life as Kristine Meredith Flaherty in Wilmette, Illinois, a wealthy commuter suburb of Chicago before heading off to Stanford for undergrad.  While she was there, Flaherty cracked a joke to a classmate about how the hip hop songs she heard on the radio were all "simplistic, misogynistic and formulaic,” and that she could easily write similar songs without any issue.  Once she got on stage, she realized that she really enjoyed performing, and started shifting toward a full-time focus on music.  She’s been releasing music for years, but my favorite track by far has to be “Blood in the Cut” from last year’s Every Where Is Some Where.  Featured prominently during the end titles of a season four Bojack Horseman episode, the menacing lyrics practically growl at the audience, and there’s an incredibly cinematic tone to the entire song.  This track doesn’t sound it was crafted for television, but there’s a drama inherent in Flay’s lyrics - “Say a word, do it soon/It’s too quiet in this room” - show the boiling tension inherent in her vocals.  Every chorus is such a release, but she builds that tension to a raucous ending that captures you, heart and soul.  This is an angst anthem, a textbook entry for your workout playlist, and one of the best damn songs in years.

8. Sylvan Esso – “Die Young” When you grow up in North Carolina, you have a special place in your heart for artists from the home of Cook Out and Cheerwine.  This duo from Durham consists of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, and they took over my phone, my car, and my brain this year with “Die Young,” an epically lush tribute to unexpected love.  As Meath coos in the lyrics, she had “it all planned/You ruined it completely;”  you see, she was going to die young in a blaze of glory so people would remember her forever.  Now that she’s fallen in love, her next chapter has been replaced and she wants more time with her partner rather than become a member of the 27 Club.  Make no mistake, Meath has written a love song, but there’s a funereal quality to the proceedings that syncs up flawlessly with the detached, synth-heavy production from Sanbord.  The looped samples work so well with the moody keyboards over the chorus, and you know I’m a sucker for a song that builds to a truly cathartic bridge.  At no point does “Die Young” disappoint; it’s the kind of instant classic that feels familiar the first time you hear it.  If Kesha hadn’t placed higher on my list, I’d make a snide comment about her own song “Die Young” being left in the dust.  If you’ve known me long enough, you know the thought remains regardless.  Ten years from now, we’ll still be listening to this haunting Southern banger.

7. Sampha – “(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano” If you’re going to make a long-awaited debut, you might as well lead with a hauntingly gorgeous song like this. London-based musician Sampha built his career for years behind the scenes as a producer, songwriter, and backing vocalist for artists like Kanye and Jessie Ware.  As he shifted toward fronting his own music, he sat down to craft an ode to the power of music itself, and knocked it out of the goddamn park.  There’s an entire narrative at work here, as Sampha spills his heart out about using music - and his mother’s piano specifically - to navigate through tough times.  As the song progresses, beyond the austere keys and euphonious vocals, a low key beat emerges, and he shifts into subtle electronic tinges, eventually closing out the song with the sounds of birds chirping in the forest.  Clearly he’s using the song to step into the spotlight, so to speak, but I think it’s more than that; this song brings peace, serenity, and a calming nature unlike anything I’m used to hearing.  What an amazing accomplishment.

6. Kesha – “Praying” I’m not exactly one to drop names, but I was living in Nashville around the same time as Kesha, as she grew up in the suburbs of Music City.  I’d heard some not so pleasant rumors about her behavior and the way she treated other people in the local scene, so when her debut single “Tik Tok” took over the world, I made a decision to sit her career out. I simply couldn’t understand why such a strong and intelligent woman - she was accepted to Barnard, people - was singing about getting black out at a club with the truly misogynist 3OH!3.  My heart went out to her when she sued Dr. Luke, though, and I quickly became riveted with the story.  As a fellow survivor of sexual assault, I found myself rooting for Kesha and eagerly anticipating new music.  While her latest album Rainbow was scattered, it could brag some absolute jams with “Woman” and “Learn to Let Go.”  That said, few songs in 2017 had the emotional impact for me of “Praying.”  This Grammy-nominated lesson in forgiveness is blistering, still bringing me to tears after hundreds of listens.  Kesha knows how to write her own songs, and it’s a thoroughly documented fact she’s been doing it for other artists for more than a decade.  That killer lyrical mind is on display here, too, but the background leading up to the song and the vulnerability on display here is nearly too much to handle.  I’ve heard mixed reviews of that whistle note, but you’re a total robot if you don’t respond when those drums kick in about two thirds of the way through “Praying.”  2017 was a year we’re all desperate to forget, but I’ll leave you with this: consider listening to “Praying” again, but imagine it’s Hillary Rodham Clinton delivering those lyrics instead.  I dare you not to weep.

5. Rhiannon Giddens – “At the Purchaser’s Option” Who knew that a guest star from Nashville was going to release one of the best songs from last year?  Even more surprising?  It’s a heart-wrenching tale of a slave woman’s refusal to fall apart in the face of some truly traumatic experiences.  For Giddens, an alumna of Oberlin’s Conservatory of Music, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and the New Basement Tapes, it’s never really been a question of whether she has the talent.  At the ripe young age of 41, she’s already been inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame.  Some of us have been following her career for years, and were just waiting for that one break out song.  In a more ideal world, this exquisite nod to slave songs would have resulted in massive recognition for Giddens.  According to Giddens herself, the song comes from reading an advertisement for a 22-year-old slave woman, whose 9 month old baby comes with her “at the purchaser’s option.”  Her reaction to something so ghastly inspired her to write the song.  She recounts the life of a woman abused by the world of slavery who refuses to lose her soul in the process.  Again, for those of us who listen to the lyrics, she takes you through some heavy shit, including the rape of a young child.  If you’re one of those people who doesn’t really notice lyrics, though, there’s still plenty to love.  Guitar, banjo, percussion, vocals - everything is at the top of the game here.  In a song that could have easily been a theme for Lupita N’Yongo’s Patsy from 12 Years a Slave, Giddens proves she’s an artist that wants her career to mean something.  She’s already earned such an incredible legacy, and “At the Purchaser’s Option” shows she’s just getting started.

4. Rostam – “Gwan” It’s no secret to anyone who read these lists in years past that I have a massive crush on Rostam Batmanglij.  You may not agree that he’s a handsome fella, but I don’t really care, because so much of my crush originates in his musical genius.  Rostam’s career - starting as a core member of Vampire Weekend and moving on to producing artists like Carly Rae Jepsen or collaborating with Hamilton Leithauser - has been nothing short of phenomenal.  It almost seems like the man cannot stumble.  “Gwan” feels like a song that cannot be classified; some people hear Irish influences in the second half’s string breakdown, while others swear he’s alluding to more Eastern sources.  The Iranian-American artist, born in the D.C. area, has intentionally alluded to various cultures throughout his career.  As long as his music sounds this gorgeous, I have no horse in the race when it comes to the cultures he’s referencing.  Rostam’s lyrics reference an unspeakable connection, a relationship that defies explanation.  Ever since I first heard this song, it’s made me think of my best friend.  It certainly doesn’t hurt that said friend lives in New York, given the obvious Manhattan references in Rostam’s lyrics.  “Gwan” could be the soundtrack to a cinematic montage, it could be the first dance at a wedding, or it could accompany you for a walk downtown.  Regardless of how it infiltrates someone’s life, there’s little argument to be had here that Rostam remains at the absolute top of his game.

3. Kate Rhudy – “I Don’t Think You’re An Angel (Anymore)” Just because the top ten has a third act from North Carolina doesn’t mean I’m playing favorites here.  Kate Rhudy is only starting her career with the album Rock N’ Roll Ain’t For Me, but you wouldn’t be able to tell when you listen to this stunning track off of her debut.  She’s a recent graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, a town known for its particularly crunchy hippie scene.  Despite the psychedelic tinges that signal the local sound, Kate stayed true to her roots, describing her own music as “sad river folk.”  People seem awed by the fact that Taylor Swift writes some of her own songs, but I prefer an artist who can write her own songs, sing them well, and even accompany herself on an instrument or two.  Rhudy puts Swift to shame with a slowed down Southern ballad about losing trust in your partner.  Do you want crystal clear vocals? Check.  How about a truly beautiful showcase for guitars and mandolin? She’s got that, too.  The entire album is jaw dropping as a debut, but “Angel” buries itself within you, it burrows deep into your soul in a way that few songs do.  As Rhudy herself has said about folk music, “It’s music that’s meant to be felt, not heard.”  She’s clearly accomplished that goal with this achingly bewitching song; in a weaker year, it easily could have been the best song overall.  For now, though, it will have to settle for years of inclusion on my favorite playlists.

2. Rose Cousins – “Freedom” Canada strikes again.  I have a deep-seated love for Canada that stretches back for eons, but I never really expected to find the Great White North’s answer to Patty Griffin.  Rose Cousins, who calls Halifax, Nova Scotia home, has a more soothing voice than Griffin, if not quite as distinctive. Her songwriting skills, though, are evidently on par with the folk/Americana legend, and I find myself blown away by the sheer scope of what Cousins has achieved with “Freedom.”  Every moment that you think you have your head wrapped around this song, it shifts from beneath you, transforming in real time.  It shifts from a slow tempo acoustic jam to a raucous breakdown, from Cousins’ lower register to true vocal fireworks.  She’s always been known for her clear-eyed melodies and the poetry of her lyrics, but I find “Freedom” to be a new height in her achievements.  It’s about the double-edged sword called choice that we navigate all too often, as she realized in a relationship, we often must give something up to achieve what we truly want.  Whether that means compromise, or leaving something behind entirely, the lyrics here are enthralling: “Well I pride myself in letting go/I'm better off and stronger alone/I've got my freedom from choices made/And freedom from being brave/Freedom.”  Yet her tone throughout is bittersweet.  I can acknowledge with far too much experience of my own that being on your own can vacillate between crushing loneliness and exhilarating levels of autonomy.  What Cousins has achieved here is a song that speaks to both sides of that coin at the same time.  There is acceptance here; acceptance that your choices have consequences, and that you’ll likely be fine in the long run anyway.

1. Ryan Adams – “To Be Without You” There are few memories from last year that I cherish more than the 14 hours or so I spent in Nashville on my cross-country move from Houston to Boston.  I was so excited to catch up with my good friend Maggie over sweet tea and queso at SATCo, and felt right at home in the town of my graduate school alma mater.  It had been far too long, and one of the most vivid parts I remember is pulling away from Maggie’s house the next morning. Facing down a stretch of winding mountain roads and another ten or eleven hours on the way to Richmond, I thought about my soundtrack.  With a cool, foggy November morning soaking my bones, I put on the one man I knew could keep me company over the next several hours of driving through autumnal Tennessee: Ryan Adams.  There’s something truly incredible about his consistency; the man’s released over a dozen albums, whether it’s solo work or paired with groups like the Cardinals or Whiskeytown.  His latest album follows quickly on the heels of 2015’s full-album cover of 1989 and his eponymous album in 2014, completing an arc of sorts with Prisoner’s clear 80s inspiration.  It was easily one of the year’s best LPs, and Adams’s first album of original material to follow his publicly painful divorce with actress Mandy Moore.  Without a doubt, “To Be Without You” jumped out of the speakers on my first listen back in February.  The song is deceptively uptempo since the lyrics are heartbreaking, leaning into the despair Adams felt after the dissolution of his marriage.  His arrangement is relatively subdued and radio friendly, utilizing guitar, percussion, and little else to focus on the true heart of the song: his pain.  “I feel empty/I feel tired/I feel worn/And nothing really matters anymore” are not the lyrics you’d expect from a song so melodious, but Adams is an expert at crafting songs and subverting expectations at this point in his career.  “I think the theme of this record is that we’re all prisoners of some desires, in that the very things we love are the things that hold us hostage and keep us trapped,” he told NME. “Either we are the cage or we’re in the cage and it’s trying to figure out in every situation which of those things is real.”  The themes work perfectly for life, love, and surviving 2017, and he created another instant classic with “To Be Without You.”  Hundreds of listens later, I still get completely sucked into it; clearly, that’s the true mark of the best song of the year.

[kayla1993-world]

2021 looks to be an exciting year for movies, especially because it will finally see the release of several notable projects that have been stuck development hell. At first glance, development hell is a dark creative abyss that pulls down eagerly-awaited movies and TV shows into an unknown future - shifting around scripts, directors and studios, and frustrating legions of faithful and hungry film fans in the process. Thankfully, some highly-anticipated films have finally escaped development hell, and are scheduled for a 2021 release.

Whether it's Mad Max: Fury Road or the new Guns n' Roses album, development hell is frustrating for fans and creators alike. And the irritation doesn't stop there: indeed, completed movies with a bumpy production history have rarely turned out questionably perfect (see: Alien Vs. Predator, and  John Carter). But despite the term's obviously negative connotations, snags in the creative process can be extremely beneficial to a project. It signals that a studio is unwilling to flippantly rush the film for the sake of filling a tentpole release date, and instead takes reasonable care in finding the right talent to breathe life into an important creative venture. More time on a project typically means more care taken in the thought process.

There are movies that have been gestating for ten years or more that will finally be getting their big pay-off in 2021. Whether they'll sink or swim is anyone's guess, but anticipation is naturally rife -- these films have been a long time coming.

1.  Pinocchio -- The upcoming Pinocchio is Guillermo Del Toro's long-awaited adaptation of the classic children's novel, popularized by Disney's 1940 animated film. Del Toro's project has had a awkward path towards principle production, having been cancelled in 2017 after Del Toro failed to acquire funding for his allegedly darker interpretation of the whimsical tale, which apparently retains its European setting but switches the 19th century setting for Mussolini's Italy. Del Toro has repeatedly called Pinocchio his passion project, claiming a "deep, personal connection" to the character.

After stagnating for over a year, Netflix came to Del Toro's creative aid on his career high from 2017's  The Shape of Water. Along with the Jim Henson Company, Pinocchio will finally materialize with co-director Mark Gustafson in tow. Gustafson's talents as animation director are essential for the film's stop-motion animation -- a unique, surreal style that could potentially be a nice change of pace from today's vapid, CG-overload fantasy tales. Incidentally, Disney's live-action Pinocchio is moving ahead. A release date is not yet set, and the film may be delayed while Del Toro completes Nightmare Alley, but production is progressing nicely with stars Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton and Christoph Waltz already on board. A 2021 release date on Netflix seems probable.

2.  Uncharted -- Naughty Dog's hugely successful video game franchise Uncharted is somewhat notorious for failing to muster a film adaptation. Talk of a movie featuring treasure hunter Nathan Drake dates back to 2009, after the success of Uncharted 2, and the project has since sifted through an array of directors. David O’Russell, Neil Burger, Seth Gordon, Shawn Levy, Dan Trachtenberg and Travis Knight have all taken a shot at prepping Sony's eagerly anticipated blockbuster, but each director fled the Uncharted project for undisclosed reasons.

But the future seemingly grows brighter for Drake and company. In what is now an Uncharted origin story, Tom Holland has been cast as a young Nathan, and Mark Wahlberg, in a surprising turnaround, is now on board as Drake's mentor Sully (Wahlberg signed on as Drake in O’Russell's version, that was also to feature Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci). Antonio Banderas has also joined the roster of actors. They will be led by Venom director Ruben Fleischer, who took over from Knight in January, which (yet again) delayed the movie from its previous December 2020 release date, replacing Masters of the Universe on Sony's release schedule in the process. Assuming Fleischer doesn't join his predecessors in walking away from Uncharted, the movie is set for release on March 5th 2021.

3.  Space jam 2 -- The original Space Jam appealed to sports and classic cartoon fans alike, and its $230 million worldwide gross put a sequel on the cards almost immediately. However, plans for Space Jam 2 were scrapped in favor of 2003's Looney Tunes: Back in Action , which is currently Bugs, Daffy and friends' last effort on the silver screen. A sustained interest in the '90s classic has lead to a variety of stalled sequels in recent years. These featured the Tunesquad in different games with different sports celebrities, including golf with Tiger Woods and skateboarding with Tony Hawk.

The upcoming Space Jam 2  sequel is evidently a much more back-to-basics approach. NBA champion LeBron James is set to replace Michael Jordan as the Tunes' captain with director Malcom D. Lee filling Joe Pytka's boots as captain of production. Ryan Coogler even features in a Producer role. Actors Don Cheadle and Sonequa Martin-Green have joined the returning Looney Tunes favourites, who are sure to give the "Monstars" an exciting and madcap rematch.

4.  The batman -- Batman's next solo outing, The Batman , has swerved drastically since the DCEU culminated in 2017's horifically mismanaged Justice League . Initially intended to be directed and co-written by then-incumbent star, Ben Affleck, he left The Batman project in 2017 and recently citied a "loss of interest" in the character.

After briefly dropping out, Matt Reeves is back to oversee yet another reboot of the dark knight legend. Little is known of the narrative, except it will not incorporate the Affleck script, nor be connected to the virtually extinct DCEU. Reeves' ideas are intriguing: he has described it as a more detective-oriented story that takes inspiration from the graphic novel The Long Halloween. The caped crusader definitely has his work cut out in this picture, with Catwoman, The Penguin and The Riddler rounding out the movie's rogue's gallery.

Robert Pattinson was surprisingly Reeves' top choice for the role, and the actor's youthful appearance suggests it will center on Batman's early days. A rough, makeshift costume revealed in February supported this idea; more recently, images of The Batman's Batmobile were revealed. Assisted by Andy Serkis' Alfred, The Batman takes to the streets June 25th 2021.

5.  Sherlock Holmes 3 -- Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are expected to reprise their roles as Holmes and Dr Watson respectively in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes 3 . The series that has long stalled squarely thanks to Downey Jr.'s MCU commitments, portraying Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Fans may have had three seasons of the BBC's Sherlock to get their fix, but certainly, some are eager to see Downey Jr.'s appealing performance as the Victorian detective once again, particularly after a decade-long absence.  Originally scheduled for December 2020, suspiciously, Sherlock Holmes 3  was delayed for an entire year.

Guy Ritchie directed the original 2009 film as well as its sequel, A Game of Shadows, but has vacated the chair for a potential third film. Hot from Elton John biopic Rocketman, British director Dexter Fletcher will replace him and has noted the inevitability that his sequel will be different to Ritchie's interpretation of the franchise.

Delays have been happening in the screenplay department for Sherlock Holmes 3. Chris Brancato is the latest writer hired to pen a script, after original's screenwriters Drew Pearce and James Coyne each turned in inadequate drafts of their own. Law has stated he and the filmmakers want the film to "be better" than the predecessors, so are understandably cautious about releasing a less-than brilliant "threequel." As the Sherlock Holmes 3 cast gears up, there's still time to perfect everything before its December 2021 release.

6.  Avatar 2 -- If anyone can believe it, Avatar was released more than a decade ago in 2009. Even before the movie's billion-dollar success, James Cameron had a rich vision and universe all laid out, which multiple sequels designed for him to draw from. Initially, Cameron envisioned Pandora and its surrounding worlds to be explored in a total of three sequels, with Avatar 2 finally releasing in December... of 2014.

Cut to seven years and multiple delays later, and there's not been a poster, trailer or much public interest to maintain faith in the continuation of the Na'vi story. But Cameron has evidently been working very hard. Development on the  Avatar sequels, although exhaustively drawn out, has never officially halted; Cameron has blamed an "involved writing process" for the Avatar sequels' setbacks, and even has hired some much-needed help in the form of four additional screenwriters, including Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

Always the pioneer, Cameron has also focused his efforts on helping the motion capture and 3D technology that made the original film so ground-breaking, although will not use the controversial HFR. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang will be back on Pandora on December 17th, 2021.

7.  Indiana Jones -- After the release of 2008's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , Harrison Ford said that he'd love to do Indiana Jones 5 , if it didn't take "another 20 years" to be released. Well, half of that time has passed, and the quickest the sequel will be released is likely 2021.

Similar to Avatar, Indy 5's mid-2010s release date was replaced by a blowing tumbleweed. In the 12 long years since Crystal Skull, and some back and forth over the sequel's script, director Steven Spielberg has ultimately left the project. This is and isn't surprising. His mixed feelings about the fourth film seemingly indicated that he wanted to close off the series with a more satisfactory story, but his commitment to various projects over the past decade strongly suggested he was dragging his feet on helming the film.

Ford has always been game to return, and Spielberg is expected to join Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in a Producer capability. There is no word that David Koepp's script is finalised, but production is clearly moving along, as evidenced by Lucasfilm's hasty recruitment of Logan director, James Mangold. Ford himself expects to start shooting Indy 5  in two months.

It's known that the film will not kill off Indy, nor will it integrate Shia LaBeouf's Mutt Williams; however it remains a mystery what Indy's quest will be. Ford has been deliberately vague, only hinting at where the character will go, promising a "resolve" to Indy's story. Given Ford's age and that the series was intended as five films, it's only natural that everything concludes here -- although the ever-eager Disney will inevitably pursue the reboot path in due time. Director and script troubles notwithstanding, Indiana Jones 5 will likely join the other development hell movies to be released in 2021.