In the midst of the preparation and production of the highly-anticipated science fiction film "Avatar 2," the studio was stunned by the news about the death of the film's music composer James Horner, who was killed in a plane crash in California just a week ago.

James Cameron, who shares his success in "Titanic" with Horner, shared words of admiration for his the Academy Award-winning music legend he referred to as a "teammate" and a "friend" in a joint statement with co-producer Jon Landau.

"James's music was the air under the banshees' wings, the ancient song of the forest, and the heartbeat of Eywa," the pair reminisced. "We have lost not only a great team-mate and collaborator, but a good friend," the two continued.

In an interview with People, Cameron said that Horner's death was "sad and shocking, and it's such a waste in a way." The filmmaker believes that "there's so much music he could have done, and we were looking forward to our next gig together."

Back in April, Horner told HeyUGuys that Cameron is working on making four prepared scripts work for three "Avatar" sequels. "Avatar 2" is scheduled to release in December 2017 with the follow-ups set out to release on 2018 and 2019 on the same month.

However, it looks like Cameron and his team of writers have figured out how to alter and modify the scripts without jeopardizing the creativity and story, with Master Herald confirming that the stories for each film has been finalized.

The renowned "Titanic" director is said to be filming "Avatar 2" and its sequels at the same time and he does so with an advanced frame rate topping Hollywood's standard 24 frames per second (fps).

For the franchise breathtaking comeback after eight long years, it is said that the movies will feature underwater scenes and will keep the highly-appreciated visual prowess that made fans out of moviegoers.

"Avatar 2" will be out in December 2017.