Avatar sequel delayed until 2016

An Avatar sequel is four to five years away. Photo / Supplied

Fans of the world's highest grossing movie will have to wait until 2016 for a sequel.

Producer Jon Landau made the announcement at a screening for the 3D version of Titanic in London, news website metro.co.uk reported.

No reason was given for the delay, but Cameron said as recently as October that he wanted the first Avatar sequel out in 2014, with Avatar 3 released a year later.

"I am in the process of writing the next two Avatar films now," he said.

"We are planning to shoot them together and post them together, and we will probably release them not quite back to back, but about a year apart. Christmas '14 and '15 is the current plan.'

Actor Sam Worthington, the star of the first Avatar, has suggested the delays are down to Cameron wanting to drastically improve on the first film.

"He wants a challenge. And he wants to improve the audience's experience. He's been messing about with 3D and frame rates a lot more," Worthington said.

- Herald online