A new series of comics set on the planet of Pandora and exploring the universe of Avatar has been announced by James Cameron.

The writer and director, who is currently working on three follow-ups to the hit 2009 science fiction film, revealed at New York Comic Con this weekend that he was teaming up with Dark Horse Comics to expand the story of Avatar into the world of comic books. The new series will, he said, “shed more light on the mythology and history of the beloved film franchise”.

Set on the distant planet of Pandora, an exotic world peopled by the alien Na’vi, Avatar made nearly $2.8bn (£1.8bn) at the box office. The science fiction writer Steven Gould, author of Jumper, is also working with Cameron on four standalone novels set in the Avatar universe, it was announced in 2013.

Cameron said this weekend: “For the past 27 years, Dark Horse has been associated with my films The Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss. I am excited that between now and the release of the first sequel, Dark Horse Comics will be bringing you new adventures from Pandora – covering the time before, during, and after the events of the original film.”

The first sequel film is due out in late 2017. Dark Horse president and publisher Mike Richardson added that he “couldn’t be more excited about working with James and his team at Lightstorm to expand the breathtaking world of Pandora”.