A new photo from the set of Avatar 2 has been posted online.

In the picture Sigourney Weaver is seen smiling, flanked by producer Jon Landau and actor Joel David Moore from the “Site 26 Shack”. The photo was taken before production on James Cameron’s anticipated sci-fi sequel was halted in New Zealand due to the coronavirus.

From the set of the Avatar sequels: Producer Jon Landau, Sigourney Weaver, and Joel David Moore revisited the Site 26 Shack to shoot scenes for the new films.

Follow Jon on Instagram at "JonPLandau" for more sneak peeks! ? pic.twitter.com/hueTOr9saV

— Avatar (@officialavatar) April 29, 2020

Weaver, who is best known for her role as Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise, portrayed Dr Grace Augustine in the first installment (Avatar, 2009) but her character was killed when she was shot by Stephen Lang’s villainous Colonel Quaritch.

• Read more: All the films and TV shows suspended due to coronavirus

Cameron told Deadline in 2014 that Weaver is playing “a different and in many ways more challenging character” in the sequels, explaining how she can appear despite her death first time around.

Despite many aspects being put on hold, Weta Digital, the visual effects studio Peter Jackson co-founded that won numerous awards for the Lord of the Rings franchise, is able to continue working on the film’s CGI.

The film’s release date of December 17, 2021 remains, with three further sequels coming in the Decembers of 2023, 2025 and 2027. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana are set to return to the lead roles.

Earlier this year Cameron unveiled a selection of concept art pieces for the next Avatar film – see here.