Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington sign on for three Avatar sequels

Zoë Saldana and Sam Worthington will reprise their roles as Neytiri and Jake Sully in the next three Avatar movies.

The films will be directed by acclaimed director James Cameron, who will shoot the movies back-to-back. The second Avatar film is expected to hit theaters in December 2016, the third in December 2017 and the fourth in December 2018.

"Jake Sully is a 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. "Zoë 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."

The 35-year-old actress will next be seen in in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy while Worthington, 37, next appears in the action movie Sabotage.

The original Avatar film made its debut in December 2009. The movie was a box office success bringing in a Domestic Total Gross of $749,766,139.

[E! News] [Box Office Mojo]