The first look at Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) in the highly anticipated sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash has officially arrived, highlighting significant challenges ahead for the Na’vi warrior. Revealed by Empire magazine, the image showcases Neytiri poised for conflict, her face a mask of anger. Accompanying the visual are new insights directly from Saldaña, who confirms that the crushing grief Neytiri endured after the events of Avatar: The Way of Water festers into a mighty rage in the third film. This emotional turmoil, she explains, will lead Neytiri to interrogate her deepest connections to her family, her people, her land, and even herself. Furthermore, the new information sheds light on Neytiri’s conflict with Varang (Oona Chaplin), the previously announced leader of the mysterious fire-based Ash Clan, whom Saldaña describes as Neytiri’s “match.”

“That pain is seamlessly followed up on,” Saldaña explained, offering her perspective on the aftermath of losing her son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) in the battle against Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) and his forces. “And because it doesn’t really have anywhere to go, and doesn’t go away, rage can also come from it. [The Sullys] are going to be tested as a family. Not only would everything that’s happening compel her to question the bond she has with her husband, but also her bond with herself, her people, her land, and the way the Na’vi are. She’s going to question everything.” This stark assessment suggests Neytiri’s journey in Avatar: Fire and Ash will test her relationship with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and force her to re-evaluate her place within Na’vi society and her connection to Eywa. Saldaña also stated that in Varang, Neytiri will “meet her match”, suggesting a rival capable of challenging Neytiri on multiple levels, potentially physically and ideologically.

[RELATED: Avatar 3 Will Bring Back the Best Character From The Way of Water]

“Zoe is incandescent in this film,” Cameron stated emphatically during the interview. “With Emilia Pérez, she’s finally getting recognised as the top-tier actor we’ve always known she is. But in [Fire And Ash], that goes way beyond what you’ve seen before.” Cameron’s high praise, referencing Saldaña’s recent Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the acclaimed 2024 film Emilia Pérez, underscores the demanding nature of Neytiri’s arc in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Everything We Know About Avatar: Fire and Ash

Continuing directly from Avatar: The Way of Water, Avatar: Fire and Ash finds the Sully family mourning Neteyam while facing intensified RDA colonization efforts on Pandora, led by General Ardmore (Edie Falco) and a Na’vi-bodied Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang). The plot will involve the Sullys navigating this conflict alongside the Metkayina clan, with the younger generation — narrator Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) — playing key roles, while Spider (Jack Champion) struggles with his dual loyalties. 

The film significantly expands Pandora’s cultures by introducing two new tribes: the volcanic Ash People and the nomadic Wind Traders. Led by Varang (Oona Chaplin), the Ash People represent a “darker aspect” of Na’vi society, hardened by struggle and willing to do “things we would consider to be evil,” according to director James Cameron, who praised Chaplin’s ability to make the adversarial Varang feel “real and alive.” In contrast, the Wind Traders traverse Pandora via massive aerial vessels, connecting disparate cultures like ancient trade caravans.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is scheduled to hit theaters worldwide on December 19, 2025.

What are you most excited to witness in Avatar: Fire and Ash? Let us know in the comments!

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While it took 13 years for the first Avatar sequel to materialize after the original 2009 film, Pandora devotees won’t need to wait nearly as long for another installment in this saga. Avatar: Fire and Ash will seep into theaters on December 19, 2025. This new entry in James Cameron’s massive franchise will introduce audiences to new corners of Pandora, including fire-based Na’vi known as the Ash People. Anticipation is already running high for the feature, which will see David Thewlis and Oona Chaplin join the Avatar series.

There are many elements that are clear about Fire and Ash, including how it will allegedly have a heftier runtime than Avatar: The Way of Water. However, a key element about Fire and Ash is still shrouded in mystery. When will the first trailer be released to the public?

Select attendees of events like CinemaCon 2025 have seen footage, but when will the general public get to finally see a Fire and Ash trailer?

When Did The First Trailers For Past Avatar Movies Drop?

Perhaps some clarity on this subject can be found in when the trailers for the first two Avatar movies dropped. Back in 2009, audiences didn’t get a very first glimpse at Avatar until late August 2009, when a trailer premiered with Inglourious Basterds. Premiering a trailer for a big original blockbuster just four months before its release was a gamble. For comparison’s sake, fellow 2009 tentpole 2012 dropped a teaser trailer an entire year before its November 2009 bow. Obviously, though, Avatar’s marketing approach worked.

Avatar: The Way of Water kicked off its marketing campaign much farther away from its theatrical debut. The first teaser premiered exclusively in theaters with the May 2022 blockbuster Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Eschewing the traditional online premiere platform for a new movie trailer ensured that audiences knew The Way of Water was something made for the big screen, not a streamer. Plus, putting the teaser on a massively anticipated movie like Multiverse of Madness ensured plenty of eyeballs would be glued to this tease of the next Avatar movie.

Given the precedent of Multiverse of Madness, it would make sense to believe that Disney/20th Century Studios would premiere the Fire and Ash teaser on theatrical showings of this year’s early May Marvel movie, Thunderbolts*. However, right now, that doesn’t look to be the plan. Instead, Disney appears to be attaching trailers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Predator: Badlands to Thunderbolts*. Disney didn’t have a deluge of other live-action movies in the year’s second half to promote back in 2022, which made it easier to launch a December blockbuster’s marketing campaign early. With a crowded slate of new Disney releases between now and December, Fire and Ash’s teaser will have to wait.

[RELATED: James Cameron’s Avatar 3 Tease Has Us Excited for Fire and Ash’s Story]

So When Will The Fire And Ash Teaser Debut?

It’s doubtful Fire and Ash‘s teaser will just drop on any movie. Given that this is one of 2025’s most anticipated films, one can expect its trailer to debut on one of summer 2025’s biggest titles rather than just floating by on screenings of The Last Rodeo. Right now, July 2025 has the two most optimal candidates for a teaser launch. Disney could reserve the trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps or the Mouse House could debut the teaser two weeks earlier on Superman.

Both movies are guaranteed to draw in plenty of moviegoers to large-format and IMAX screenings, which make them ideal as the next motion pictures that could house a Fire and Ash teaser. Wherever this teaser drops, expect it to remain a theatrical-exclusive event for a few days, much like The Way of Water’s teaser. If any teaser trailer should be experienced first and foremost on the biggest screen possible, it’s the first footage from a new James Cameron movie.

This venue inevitably will let moviegoers appreciate every detail of Cameron’s Fire and Ash vision while instilling in viewers the sense that this impending tentpole is a must-see big-screen event. Pandora fans are undoubtedly getting impatient for a Fire and Ash teaser by now, especially since the teaser will drop closer to Ash’s release date compared to when Water’s teaser premiered. However, given Cameron’s track record, it’s highly likely that whatever this teaser trailer contains will blow away all expectations and dispel impatience.

Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters on December 19, 2025.

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The fan-favorite tulkun Payakan will make a triumphant return in Avatar: Fire and Ash with an expanded role that promises to delight audiences. VFX supervisor and executive producer Richard Baneham has confirmed to Empire magazine that the rebellious space whale introduced in Avatar: The Way of Water will play a significantly larger part in the third installment of James Cameron’s epic saga. Payakan, who formed a special bond with Jake Sully’s (Sam Worthington) middle child Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) in the previous film, captured viewers’ hearts with his tragic backstory and heroic actions during the climactic battle against the Resources Development Administration (RDA). The outcast tulkun’s unexpected popularity has influenced the creative team to extend his presence in Avatar: Fire and Ash, cementing his status as one of the franchise’s most compelling non-humanoid characters.

“He’s turned out to be one of the most popular characters,” Baneham explained in the interview. “The reaction emboldened us to go forward and play Payakan at the very highest level.” This confirmation suggests that the bond between Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and the giant marine creature will continue to evolve, potentially playing a crucial role in the narrative as the inhabitants of Pandora face new threats from both human invaders and the newly introduced Ash People tribe. Furthermore, Payakan’s increased prominence indicates that the underwater elements that made The Way of Water visually stunning will remain an important aspect of the third film, even as the story expands to include the volcanic territories of the Ash People.

[RELATED: Avatar: Fire & Ash Run Time Update Will Divide Fans]

“There’s a really great dynamic between them,” Baneham revealed when discussing the introduction of Ta’nok, a female tulkun who is similarly ostracized from tulkun society. This relationship opens up possibilities for exploring tulkun social structures in greater depth, including the introduction of clan leaders known as Matriarch and Patriarch. “Matriarch is a very interesting character,” Baneham noted. “She’s in full regalia. We’re using rings and tattoos as a way to suggest history beyond what we’re seeing.” These additions demonstrate Cameron’s commitment to building a richly detailed alien ecosystem with complex interpersonal relationships that extend beyond human and Na’vi characters, creating a more immersive experience for viewers returning to Pandora.

Everything We Know About Avatar 3

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the middle chapter in Cameron’s planned five-part saga and aims to dramatically expand the world of Pandora by introducing two new Na’vi tribes. The most significant addition is the Ash People, a volcano-dwelling clan led by Varang (Oona Chaplin) that embraces violence and power, challenging the previously established portrayal of Na’vi as uniformly peaceful protectors of nature. Cameron has described Varang as a complex character shaped by her people’s struggles, suggesting a more nuanced approach to morality in this installment. “She’s hardened by that,” Cameron explained in previous interviews. “She will do anything for them, even things that we would consider to be evil.”

The story of Avatar: Fire and Ash picks up after the events of The Way of Water, with Jake Sully and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) still processing the devastating loss of their eldest son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters). The Sully family must navigate grief while continuing their resistance against the intensifying colonization efforts of the RDA, led by General Frances Ardmore (Edie Falco) and the resurrected Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) in his Na’vi avatar form. Meanwhile, the Sully children — Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), Lo’ak, and Tuktirey “Tuk” (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) — must adapt to new family dynamics while joining the fight to protect their adopted home. Lo’ak’s continuing friendship with Payakan will likely provide an emotional core for his character development.

In addition to the Ash People, Fire and Ash will introduce the Wind Traders, a nomadic Na’vi tribe that travels across Pandora using massive flying creatures resembling hot air balloons. Cameron has compared them to “the camel caravans of the Spice Road back in the Middle Ages,” highlighting their crucial role in connecting Pandora’s diverse cultures. This expansion of the Na’vi civilization demonstrates Cameron’s intent to develop a richer and more complex vision of Pandora, moving beyond the binary morality of humans versus Na’vi presented in the first two films.

Avatar: Fire and Ash will make its theatrical debut on December 19, 2025. Avatar 4 is scheduled for December 21, 2029, while the concluding chapter, Avatar 5, is set for December 19, 2031.

Are you excited to see Payakan return in Avatar: Fire and Ash? How do you think his storyline will connect with the new Na’vi tribes? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Avatar: Fire and Ash director James Cameron teases the film’s run time, which could prove to be polarizing for viewers. Speaking with Empire, Cameron opened up about the film’s development, explaining how development on the Avatar sequels progressed over time. While going over everything they had in mind, Cameron and his collaborators realized they had material for more installments than they initially envisioned. This led to the conception of Fire and Ash, which stemmed from ideas that were originally for 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. Cameron said Fire and Ash is shaping up to be the longest Avatar film yet.

“In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2,” Cameron said. “The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren’t drilling down enough on character. So I said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to split it.’ [Movie] 3 will actually be a little bit longer than movie 2.”

Neither of the previous two Avatar movies are brief. The 2009 original has a run time of 162 minutes, while The Way of Water was over three hours long (192 minutes). Throughout his career, Cameron has become known for protracted run times; 1984’s The Terminator was the last feature of his to clock in under two hours.

[RELATED – Everything We Know About Avatar: Fire and Ash (Including the New Na’vi)]

Ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s premiere this December, Cameron has been outlining his approach for the film’s story. He intends for the movie to be an in-depth exploration of grief as Jake and Neytiri try to process the unspeakable tragedy they went through in The Way of Water. Cameron is also looking to turn franchise tropes on their head by introducing a new Na’vi clan that’s more antagonistic in nature.

Audiences won’t learn what Fire and Ash‘s official run time is for a while, but if Cameron’s comments are any indication, it sounds like it will be well over three hours. On one hand, that gives Cameron plenty of time to flesh out all of the movie’s new elements. Between continuing threads from The Way of Water and bringing two new Na’Vi tribes into the picture, Fire and Ash will have a lot on its plate, and it’ll be important for these aspects to be properly developed. A shorter run time would run the risk of the film feeling rushed, which would be underwhelming. That said, a common critique of the Avatar franchise is that the films work better as big-screen spectacle than pieces of compelling storytelling. Should Fire and Ash fail to engage audiences on an emotional level, the movie could drag before it reaches its conclusion.

A longer run time could also have an impact on Fire and Ash‘s box office prospects, as theaters may be limited with how many screenings they can book each day. That would mean fewer opportunities for the film to generate revenue, but Cameron has proven time and time again that audiences shouldn’t doubt his ability to craft a crowd-pleasing blockbuster that turns a healthy profit. If his track record is anything to go by, Fire and Ash should be a big winner at the box office when it opens over the holiday season, regardless of how long it is.

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Pandora’s vast world is about to become even more enchanting with the introduction of a spectacular new Na’vi clan that literally floats through life. In Empire’s revealing first look at Avatar: Fire and Ash, arriving December 19, 2025, former Harry Potter star David Thewlis appears as Peylak, the charismatic leader of the Wind Traders (Tlalim Clan). These unique Na’vi have mastered the art of traveling across Pandora’s landscape using massive jellyfish-like creatures, bringing a fresh dimension to the franchise’s already impressive array of aerial sequences. While previous films showcased the Na’vi soaring through colorful skies on their trusty ikran mounts and swimming through bioluminescent oceans, this new clan promises to deliver an entirely different kind of aerial spectacle that could revolutionize how we view transportation in James Cameron‘s ever-expanding alien landscape.

The newly revealed character design showcases Peylak in striking attire, most notably featuring an eye-catching sunset-colored cloak that underwent significant revisions during development. “Originally, the cloak was a little more rugged, a little more rustic,” costume designer Deborah L. Scott tells Empire, explaining that director Cameron pushed for greater grandeur in the clan’s appearance. The result is a visual feast that promises to bring a new energy to Pandora’s growing universe.

“They’re upbeat, happy, colourful,” Scott revealed, adding that “when they come into our movie, everyone’s excited to see them. It’s like the circus is in town.”

[RELATED – Everything We Know About Avatar: Fire and Ash (Including the New Na’vi)]

Thewlis, known for his portrayal of Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter series, reportedly brings distinctive flair to the role, with Scott praising his “great posture” and declaring him “absolutely stunning in the movie.” Thewlis isn’t the only new face joining the franchise. Michelle Yeoh and Oona Chaplin are also set to appear, with Yeoh taking on the role of human scientist Dr. Karina Mogue, while the returning cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver.

The introduction of the Wind Traders represents another innovative expansion of Pandora’s rich ecosystem, following the oceanic exploration in The Way of Water. This third installment, which has already completed 95% of its filming alongside The Way of Water, promises to showcase new biomes and Na’vi clans while continuing to push technological boundaries.

Cameron’s efficient approach to filming multiple sequels simultaneously suggests a confident vision for the franchise’s future. With The Way of Water having earned more than $2.3 billion at the box office, expectations are high for this next chapter. The film joins an impressive roster of upcoming releases, with Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 tentatively scheduled for 2026 and 2028, respectively.

Avatar: Fire & Ash opens theaters on December 19th.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash star Zoe Saldaña sheds further light on the film’s story, hinting at a very emotional arc for the Sully family. In an interview with Variety, the Oscar-nominated actress was asked about what audiences can expect when the latest installment in the Avatar franchise opens this December. Understandably, Saldaña couldn’t get into too much detail, but she teased that Fire and Ash will push Jake and Neytiri to their limits as they grapple with the aftermath of the events of Avatar: The Way of Water. She implied that there will be some tough choices ahead for the characters.

“It’s going to be an emotional roller coaster,” Saldaña said. “The way The Way of Water ended was unimaginably painful for the Sully family. Now, they have to make really strong decisions. Do they stay united and find common ground, or do they go their separate ways? And God knows what’s going to happen to the existing children.”

In Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake and Neytiri suffer the loss of their eldest son, Neteyam, who died during the film’s climactic battle. Previously, Saldaña has discussed how this story thread will be explored in the third film, explaining that the Sully family will need to find a way to persevere amidst the ongoing conflict on Pandora. Director James Cameron has promised Fire and Ash will not sugarcoat its exploration of grief, which sets it apart from other Hollywood tentpoles.

[RELATED – Everything We Know About Avatar: Fire and Ash (Including the New Na’vi)]

As the Avatar franchise continues, Cameron is looking to take greater risks in the storytelling department, promising that Fire and Ash takes things “to a level of character and intrigue” audiences haven’t seen before. In addition to tapping into a stronger emotional core, the director is finding ways to riff on the series’ established tropes. The introduction of the new Ash Clan was his way to deviate from what he called the “‘all humans are bad, all Na’Vi are good’ paradigm.”

The Sully family is committed to fighting the RDA, but after losing one child, continuing that struggle will not be easy. Jake and Neytiri’s dynamic has been an integral part of the Avatar films from the beginning, and it would be a devastating blow if the characters decide to part ways in Fire and Ash. A twist like that would play into Cameron’s desire to highlight grief; everyone mourns in their own way, and perhaps things become too much for Neytiri to bear and she opts to leave Jake. Even if they eventually reunite, this would make for some compelling drama and it would be fascinating to see how the characters react to that situation.

Given the strength of Jake and Neytiri’s love, it seems unlikely they would separate for good. But the two may need to walk their own individual paths as they process everything that’s happened and figure out what to do next. It’s common for sequels to split the main characters up, allowing them to grow and change on their own before they’re brought back together. That formula could enhance Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s emotional core; after spending time apart from each other and learning more about themselves, a Jake and Neytiri reunion towards the end of the film would make for a strong payoff. Whatever happens, it sounds like Avatar 3 will have plenty of substance to balance out the sci-fi spectacle.

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Avatar: The Way of Water dominated the global box office in December of 2022, with box office earnings exceeding $2.3 billion, becoming the third highest-grossing film in history. Unsurprisingly, Disney is still committed to director James Cameron’s epic franchise, with three more movies scheduled to hit theaters in the upcoming years. The Avatar saga continues its groundbreaking journey with Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third chapter in Cameron’s planned five-part narrative. The threequel promises to take fans to unexplored corners of Pandora, the sci-fi planet where native people fight greedy humans to preserve their natural resources.

Avatar: Fire and Ash also introduces two new Na’vi tribes that will dramatically expand our understanding of Pandora’s culture: the Ash People and the Wind Traders. The Ash People, in particular, are a volcano-dwelling Na’vi clan led by the enigmatic Varang (Oona Chaplin), representing a darker aspect of Na’vi society that embraces violence and power. This tribe challenges our previous understanding of Pandora’s indigenous peoples as purely noble beings.

What’s the Plot of Avatar 3?

Avatar: Fire and Ash directly follows Avatar: The Way of Water, exploring how Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) cope with the loss of their eldest son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters). As Earth continues its rapid decline, the Resources Development Administration (RDA) intensifies its efforts to colonize Pandora, led by General Frances Ardmore (Edie Falco) and the resurrected Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) in his Na’vi avatar form. So, we are bound to see more brutal battles as the native forces of Pandora resist the oppression of the human colonizers.

While still mourning, the Sully family will navigate these new challenges and strengthen their connection to the Metkayina clan, the ocean tribe introduced in The Way of Water. The Sully children Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and Tuktirey “Tuk” (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) must adapt to new family dynamics, joining the fight to save Pandora. At the same time, the Sully’s adopted human son, Miles “Spider” Socorro (Jack Champion), will struggle with his divided loyalties between humanity and the Na’vi.

Who Are the New Na’vi?

Fire and Ash introduces two distinct Na’vi tribes. The Ash People, the franchise’s first major non-human antagonists, are a volcano-dwelling Na’vi clan. According to James Cameron, their leader, Varang, is a complex character shaped by her people’s struggles. “Varang is the leader of a people who have gone through an incredible hardship. She’s hardened by that,” Cameron explained. “She will do anything for them, even things that we would consider to be evil.”

Cameron praised Chaplin’s performance as Varang, noting that its depth became even more apparent after seeing the completed Wētā FX animation: “She’s so good that I didn’t quite appreciate how good her performance is until we got the Wētā animation back. She’s an enemy, an adversarial character, but [Chaplin] makes her feel so real and alive.” The director emphasized that Fire and Ash aims to move beyond simple moral dichotomies: “We’re trying to evolve beyond the ‘all humans are bad, all Na’vi are good’ paradigm.”

The second new tribe, the Wind Traders, offers a stark contrast to the Ash People. These nomadic Na’vi travel across Pandora using massive flying creatures that resemble hot air balloons. Cameron compares them to “the camel caravans of the Spice Road back in the Middle Ages,” highlighting their crucial role in connecting Pandora’s various cultures. The director’s enthusiasm for these traders is evident, particularly when discussing their aerial vessels: “If you’ve got any nautical blood in your veins, you’ll want to be on their ship.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash Cast and Crew

James Cameron returns to direct Avatar: Fire and Ash, working alongside his longtime producing partner Jon Landau – who tragically passed away in June. An accomplished writing team wrote the script, including Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman, and Shane Salerno. The production team has spent years developing new technology to bring Cameron’s expanded vision of Pandora to life, particularly focusing on the volcanic regions that serve as home to the Ash People.

The core family dynamic will continue to evolve, with Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña anchoring the narrative as Jake and Neytiri. Their family has grown more complex, with Sigourney Weaver expanding her groundbreaking performance as their teenage daughter Kiri, while Britain Dalton’s Lo’ak will take over as the film’s narrator. Trinity Jo-Li Bliss returns as their youngest daughter, Tuk, and Jack Champion continues his role as Spider, their adopted human son who bridges two worlds.

The enemies list has been expanded significantly for Fire and Ash. Stephen Lang’s Colonel Quaritch remains a threat, now joined by Edie Falco’s General Ardmore and Giovanni Ribisi’s returning administrator, Parker Selfridge. Matt Gerald reprises his role as Corporal Wainfleet, while Brendan Cowell returns as the ruthless Captain Scoresby. The film introduces Oona Chaplin as Varang, the leader of the Ash People, and David Thewlis as Peylak, a character whose arc will span multiple sequels.

Finally, the Metkayina clan maintains their crucial presence, with Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis returning as power couple Ronal and Tonowari. Their children, played by Bailey Bass (Tsireya) and Filip Geljo (Ao’nung), continue their relationships with the Sully family, while Duane Evans Jr. returns as the skilled hunter Rotxo. The supporting cast is rounded out by returning favorites CCH Pounder as Mo’at, Joel David Moore as Dr. Norm Spellman, Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin, and Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel.

Is There a Trailer for Avatar 3?

While no public trailer has been released yet, D23 2024 attendees were treated to exclusive preview footage that showcased the film’s expanded scope. The preview revealed stunning sequences of Neytiri navigating through volcanic terrain on her banshee, alongside glimpses of the Ash People’s distinctive culture and architecture. These early looks suggest a darker, more intense chapter in the Avatar saga. 

Following the marketing strategy employed for The Way of Water, the first official trailer is anticipated to debut in late spring or early summer 2025. This release will likely coincide with a major Disney theatrical release (Marvel’s Thunderbolts?), ensuring maximum exposure for this highly anticipated sequel.

When Is Avatar: Fire and Ash Releasing in Theaters?

Avatar: Fire and Ash will make its theatrical debut on December 19, 2025, maintaining the franchise’s tradition of December releases. This date represents the culmination of a complex production schedule that has weathered nine delays, including the most recent postponement due to the Writers Guild of America strike.

Fire and Ash marks the middle chapter of Cameron’s expansive five-part Avatar saga, with subsequent entries already in active development. Avatar 4 is scheduled for December 21, 2029, while the concluding chapter, Avatar 5, is set for December 19, 2031.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash director James Cameron has opened up more about the film’s story, explaining how it will be different from other Hollywood blockbusters. Speaking with Empire (via Collider), the filmmaker revealed that Fire and Ash and its forthcoming sequels will not shy away from dealing with grief. “I think what commercial Hollywood doesn’t do well is deal with grief the way human beings really deal with it,” Cameron said. “You know, characters get killed off, and then in the next movie everybody’s happy again. I’ve lost a lot of people, friends and family members, over the last six or eight years, and it doesn’t work that way.”

Elaborating, Cameron stated that grief can “[make] you just kind of depressed and f***ed up.” While Avatar: Fire and Ash will still be a big-screen spectacle full of entertaining action sequences, Cameron intends for the remaining installments to deal with human emotions such as grief in a “naturalistic, novelistic way” through how the Sully family processes what happens to them. “Now, of course, they’re not human, but this is a movie for us, by us, right? Science-fiction is always just a big mirror of the human condition,” Cameron said.

In 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake Sully and Neytiri suffer a devastating loss when their oldest son, Neteyam, dies during the film’s climactic battle. Star Zoe Saldaña has suggested this story thread will carry over into Fire and Ash, which finds Jake and Neytiri “on this journey of acceptance” as they attempt to figure out “who they are and what they must be for each other.” According to the actress, the characters are figuring out the best way to protect their family as they continue to fight against the RDA on Pandora.

[RELATED – Predicting the Biggest Movies at the Box Office in 2025]

With Avatar: Fire and Ash, Cameron is looking to push the franchise’s storytelling forward. He’s introducing new Na’vi tribes, such as the Ash People, to break the established “‘all humans are bad, all Na’vi are good’ paradigm.” Now that the Avatar series is on its third installment, the director feels comfortable to start to “riff on it and twist it and turn it” from a narrative perspective. While he admits the risks may not pay off, he believes it’s important to take some chances. “[I]if you’re not making brave choices, you’re wasting everybody’s time and money.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s tackling of grief sheds light on Cameron’s earlier comments about his storytelling approach. When audiences sit down to watch the movie over the holiday season, they’ll be expecting plenty of Cameron’s trademark bombastic setpieces, but could be caught off-guard when they see a deep study of complex emotions. It’s important to note Cameron has stressed Fire and Ash is not a “depressed and f***ed up” movie, so it will still feature the crowd-pleasing moments viewers want to watch on the big screen. However, the decision to focus on Jake and Neytiri’s grief should add more dramatic weight to the proceedings and give the movie a relatable emotional core. It sounds like Cameron is using his personal experiences as a foundation for this topic, which should make it feel genuine and authentic.

The Avatar films have rarely earned accolades for their writing (Cameron did receive a Best Original Screenplay nomination from the Writers Guild Awards for the original). That hasn’t stopped them from becoming massive box office hits, but as the series continues, it would be nice if moviegoers found a strong emotional through-line to connect with. By using Jake and Neytiri as avatars (no pun intended) to explore “the human condition,” Cameron could be crafting films that balance breathtaking spectacle with substance that has the power to move viewers. Perhaps Fire and Ash will help some audience members process any grief they’re experiencing at the time.

The post James Cameron Promises Avatar: Fire and Ash Explores Something No Other Hollywood Movie Has appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Avatar: Fire and Ash director James Cameron has shed some light on his storytelling approach for the upcoming sequel, and it’s an update that should be exciting for fans. In an interview with Empire, the Oscar-winning filmmaker discussed what audiences should expect when the third Avatar film opens in theaters this December. In addition to “really clever action set-pieces” (which is a given considering Cameron’s pedigree), it sounds like Avatar: Fire and Ash is aiming to tell a bold narrative. “What excites me as an artist who recently turned 70 and has kind of done all that stuff is not only the opportunity to get to do it again, but to get to a level of character and intrigue you haven’t seen before in an Avatar movie,” Cameron said.

Elaborating, Cameron indicated that he’s aiming to take some risks regarding the movie’s story. “We’re just starting to riff on it and twist it and turn it,” he said. “It’s a tricky thing. We could be getting high on our own supply here, and everybody who looks at it goes, ‘F***, that’s not what I signed up for.’ But if you’re not making brave choices, you’re wasting everybody’s time and money. That alone is not sufficient to create success, but it’s necessary.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash plot details are largely being kept under wraps, but it has been confirmed the film introduces two Na’vi tribes: the Ash Clan and the Wind Traders. The former represents a considerable change for the franchise, as the Ash Clan will be an antagonistic force. They are led by Varang (played by Game of Thrones‘ Oona Chaplin), who will go to any length to help her people. Cameron described the character as a way for the series to “evolve beyond the ‘all humans are bad, all Na’vi are good’ paradigm.”

[RELATED – Everything We Know About Avatar: Fire and Ash (And When You Can Watch It)]

Franchise star Zoe Saldaña has also touched on Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s story, teasing an emotional journey for the Sully family as they mourn the loss of Neteyam, Jake and Neytiri’s oldest son (who died in Avatar: The Way of Water). “Jake and Neytiri are on this journey of acceptance, of accepting who they are and what they must be for each other and how they’re going to push forward to keep their family safe,” she said.

The Avatar films are renowned for being technical marvels, boasting revolutionary visual effects and action sequences that demand to be seen on the biggest screen possible. However, a common critique of the franchise is that the unrivaled spectacle largely overshadows what is arguably an underwhelming narrative. The first Avatar in particular was criticized for what was perceived as an unoriginal story that drew heavily from previous works like Pocahontas and Dances With Wolves. While there are viewers who enjoy Cameron’s extensive world-building and love characters like Kiri and Payakan, most would probably agree that storytelling is one area where Avatar can improve. Fortunately, it sounds like Cameron is aware of that.

A case can be made that the first couple of Avatar movies benefitted from having relatively simple stories, helping ease viewers into the world of Pandora. But with at least two more sequels planned after Avatar: Fire and Ash, now is the time to find intriguing ways to keep things fresh. The presence of an antagonistic Na’vi tribe has the potential to add rich complexity and nuance to the proceedings, and it will be exciting to see what other “brave choices” Cameron made when crafting the film. Throughout his career, he’s never been one to play things safe, and it’s encouraging he’s actively trying to challenge himself and the audience moving forward. Hopefully, Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s bold risks pay off, setting the stage for even more twists in the next film.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash will introduce two new Na’vi tribes later this year, but the latest sneak peek will make them feel close already. In a new interview with Empire, director James Cameron gave some new details on the “Ash Clan” and the “Wind Traders,” along with some new concept art of both of their designs. He even described a new character, Varang, and her motivations as the leader of the Ash Clan. It sounds like Cameron is planning to tease this movie out little by little over the next few months before Avatar: Fire and Ash premieres on December 19th, 2025.

The third installment of Cameron’s epic space fantasy takes us to new regions on the moon Pandora, introducing us to our first big non-human antagonists, the Ash Clan. Their leader is played by Oona Chaplin — best known for playing Talisa Stark on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Cameron said that Chaplin’s performance “is so good that I didn’t quite appreciate how good her performance is until we got the Wētā animation back. She’s an enemy, an adversarial character, but [Chaplin] makes her feel so real and alive.”

“Varang is the leader of a people who have gone through an incredible hardship. She’s hardened by that,” Cameron explained. “She will do anything for them, even things that we would consider to be evil. One thing we wanted to do in this film is not be black-and-white simplistic. We’re trying to evolve beyond the ‘all humans are bad, all Na’vi are good’ paradigm.”

[RELATED: Everything We Know About Avatar: Fire and Ash (And When You Can Watch It)]

Meanwhile, the Wind Traders roam Pandora with the help of massive flying creatures depicted in concept art like hot air balloons. Of them, Cameron said, “They’re nomadic traders, equivalent to the camel caravans of the Spice Road back in the Middle Ages. And you know, they’re just fun. Like all Na’vi, they live in a symbiosis with their creatures.”

“If you’ve got any nautical blood in your veins, you’ll want to be on [their] ship,” the director added excitedly. Cameron has been working on Avatar for nearly three decades now, and it’s clearly a labor of love. Fans feel the weight of those years as well, having anticipated a sequel from 2009 to 2022. Now that the series is back in motion, it looks like it will move along much more quickly.

Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters on December 19th, 2025. Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water are both streaming now on Disney+.

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Avatar: Fire and Ash will be a heartbreaker, according to star Zoe Saldaña. In a new interview with Deadline published this weekend, the actress teased the plot of the upcoming movie, without giving too much away. She seemed to be warning fans that the sci-fi epic is not going to shy away from grief and the toll it can take on a family.

Fair warning: there are spoilers for Avatar: The Way of Water ahead! “The way that we left the Sully family, they’re mourning heavily the loss of their child,” Saldaña said. “So I do believe that that will carry out a great deal in the third installment of Avatar. Jake and Neytiri are on this journey of acceptance, of accepting who they are and what they must be for each other and how they’re going to push forward to keep their family safe.”

Avatar is known for its visual spectacles and its cutting edge technology, but Saldaña praised director and co-writer James Cameron for the story at the heart of it all. She said: “I love the fact that in the core of this entire saga is a beautiful love story, and I love that Jim really wrote that for them. But it’s not going to be easy. They’re not always going to meet eye to eye, and I just hope that they keep each other safe. That’s my hope for them.”

[RELATED: Everything We Know About Avatar: Fire and Ash (And When You Can Watch It)]

Saldaña’s insight here might be the most we’ve heard about the story of Fire and Ash so far. We know that the story will once again take us to a different place on Pandora and introduce us to a new group of Na’vi with a different culture — again with an elemental theme based on their habitat. we also heard from producer Jon Landau that there might be some antagonistic Na’vi in this movie for a change. Cameron said that the third movie has greater character depth than the first two installments.

If Cameron’s Avatar is known for anything else, it’s the long wait between films. The first movie debuted in 2009, and despite Cameron’s very vocal promises for a sequel, it took until 2022 for The Way of Water to arrive. Now that the gears are in motion again, it seems like things will move faster and more consistently now. Avatar: Fire and Ash is currently scheduled for release on December 19, 2025. Two more untitled sequels are in the works, and are scheduled for 2029 and 2031, respectively.

Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water are both streaming now on Disney+. Avatar: Fire and Ash is scheduled to hit theaters on December 19, 2025.

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With 2024 winding down, the year’s big box office winners are clear. Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Wicked, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and It Ends With Us were just a few of the many movies that flourished over these 12 months of cinema history. Even with a pair of labor strikes from 2023 and other external factors inhibiting the amount of movies that hit theaters in 2024, the annual domestic box office is headed for a solid end-of-year total. Even better, 2025 is poised to be (knock on wood) the first post-March 2020 year at the domestic box office that resembles something like a pre-2020 “normal.”

With studios cramming the calendar with new titles and multiple fresh releases opening over the same weekend, 2025 is shaping up to be a mighty year at the box office. But what titles might make the most money? That’s what we’re gathered here today to explore. 2025 could be a year for the history books if things go right, and these projected biggest movies of 2025 will play a critical role in this year living up to expectations.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

In 2022, Avatar: The Way of Water returned audiences to Pandora after 13 years of the franchise being M.I.A. from theaters. Despite years of jokes about the original Avatar leaving “no pop culture impact,” The Way of Water grossed over $2 billion worldwide to become one of the biggest movies ever globally. It’s a foregone conclusion Avatar: Fire and Ash will be one of 2025’s most lucrative titles, especially since key foreign territories have more readily returned to moviegoing since December 2022. In other words, the box office run of Fire and Ash will have all the might of an Ikran, Eywa, and Payakan combined.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Ironically, the 2025 Marvel Studios property with the most box office potential is the one starring characters that have technically never appeared in this saga (at least this universe’s forms). The Fantastic Four: First Steps has several advantages at its back, including a late July release date that will allow it to run throughout August with minimal competition. That approach certainly worked for Deadpool & Wolverine and early August juggernaut Guardians of the Galaxy. Plus, if First Steps gets positive buzz, it could skyrocket at the box office, like the first solo Venom and Deadpool movies, over excitement surrounding seeing comic book characters finally “done right” on the big screen. Keep an eye on The Fantastic Four: First Steps to finally give Marvel’s First Family a box office sensation.

[RELATED: Is 2024 the Worst Year for Superhero Movies?]

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Sure, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning failed to hit lofty box office expectations. However, its domestic haul was still only 20% below its predecessor. With a more competition-free Memorial Day weekend (not to mention exclusive control over IMAX screens for three weeks), Mission: Impossible -The Final Reckoning has a good shot at restoring the saga’s box office prowess. If Reckoning comes anywhere close to being as big as the franchise’s most successful installments, then Ethan Hunt is going out in style.

Michael

If Elvis could reach $150+ million domestically, the mind staggers to think what a movie about Michael Jackson like Michael will do in October 2025. The King of Pop is coming to the big screen in what’s allegedly a flashy, crowd-pleasing fashion that’ll give audiences plenty of razzle-dazzle and reprises of their favorite songs. Jackson’s appeal as a musician was global. Michael is bound to similarly resonate globally, producing one of the year’s biggest hits in the process.

Zootopia 2

Moana 2 has officially brought Walt Disney Animation Studios back to the level of box office powerhouse. Next Thanksgiving, the label will try to keep the momentum going with another sequel, Zootopia 2. Though not as heavily streamed over the last eight years as Moana, Zootopia actually made more money than that musical back in 2016 with over $1 billion worldwide. This box office sensation returning with a new adventure is bound to excite audiences. Plus, since, unlike Moana 2, Zootopia 2 was always made with the big screen in mind, its long-term word-of-mouth could be exceedingly better than 2024’s big Disney Animation smash.

Wicked: Part 2

This one’s a no-brainer for being a 2025 box office smash. With Wicked on track to become only the second live-action musical in history to exceed $400 million domestically, audiences are clearly stoked to spend more time with Elphaba and Glinda. Wicked: Part 2 won’t have as many feel-good bubbly songs as “Dancing Through Life” and “Popular,” so it likely won’t inspire as many rewatches as its predecessors. However, it’s still guaranteed to be one of 2025’s largest hits, especially given the euphoric word-of-mouth greeting the first Wicked. Here is the rare “part one” movie that leaves audiences excited for a follow-up rather than feeling frustrated over getting only half a film.

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The first concept art for Avatar: Fire and Ash debuted at D23 Brasil last week, and fans are increasingly concerned with its apparent similarity to the other Avatar franchise – The Last Airbender. There are five new images of Pandora, featuring new flying organisms and Na’vi settlements. However, after the presentation fans are beginning to feel like these movies are encroaching on the elemental themes and motifs of The Last Airbender.

Avatar introduced us to the forest-dwelling Na’vi, and The Way of Water showed us how they live on the coast as well. The concept art for Fire and Ash gave us our first glimpse of the the “Ash People,” which director James Cameron called a “reflection of the worst side of Na’vi.” Their home seems to be built on an ashy terrain, surrounded by bare stone with dragon-like creatures roosting overhead. Cameron teased “New cultures and settings and biomes and more of Pandora,” but some commenters complained that this was similar to Aang’s tour of the four great nations.

Much of this commentary was tongue-in-cheek, with fans still feeling bitter that Cameron’s blockbuster franchise took the title Avatar and overshadowed Nickelodeon’s fantasy franchise. After that, any other similarities are bound to cause some eye-rolling, and this exploratory format hits a little too close to home. Seeing various tribes of Na’vi living in different settings with cultures built around their natural elements reminds fans of the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes and Air Nomads.

It sounds like Fire and Ash may introduce us to the Na’vi equivalent of the air nomads as well. Two concept images show giant creatures flying through the sky – apparently through a combination of balloon-like appendages and wings. So far, the details of the plot are under wraps, so there’s no telling how these various nations will interact. Commenters are speculating about what will draw Jake Sully and Neytiri away from the Metkayina clan in the first place. The Way of Water showed that leaving the forest for the sea was a huge adjustment for their family, and apparently an unusual one for the Na’vi.

While Cameron’s franchise is finally moving along, The Last Airbender franchise also has some big news on the way. Original series creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino are heading up Avatar Studios, a division of Nickelodeon to create animated series and movies in the Avatar universe. Their first project is a movie with the working title Aang: The Last Airbender, which will feature adult versions of the main characters Aang, Katara, Toph and Sokka. Dave Bautista has signed on to play the antagonist. The movie currently has a release date of January 30, 2026.

That’s not long after Avatar: Fire & Ash, which is slated to premiere on December 19, 2025, only in theaters. Hopefully, fans will be able to keep all these settings straight in their heads.

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Director James Cameron has become a prolific part of the film industry, from his landmark work on Titanic to his current endeavor on the Avatar film franchise. Today, it was revealed that Cameron will direct his first new non-Avatar project in decades — Last Train From Hiroshima. The project will be a new film based on Charles R. Pellegrino’s 2015 book Last Train From Hiroshima, as well as his forthcoming 2025 book Ghosts of Hiroshima. While an exact production schedule or release date has not been confirmed, Cameron plans to work on the film as soon as his production schedule on the Avatar movies allows it. The film will partially follow the true story of a Japanese man during World War II who survived the atomic blast at Hiroshima, got on a train to Nagasaki, and then survived the nuclear explosion in that city.

“It’s a subject that I’ve wanted to do a film about, that I’ve been wrestling with how to do it, over the years,” Cameron told Deadline. “I met Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a survivor of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, just days before he died. He was in the hospital. He was handing the baton of his personal story to us, so I have to do it. I can’t turn away from it.” 

Will James Cameron Direct Avatar 4 and 5?

In a recent interview with https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/james-cameron-interview-avatar-3-alien-romulus-terminator-oceanxplorers-1235972175/#recipient_hashed=4099e28fd37d67ae86c8ecfc73a6b7b652abdcdb75a184f8cf1f8015afde10e9&recipient_salt=f7bfecc7d62e4c672635670829cb8f9e0e2053aced394fb57d9da6937cf0601a&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_campaign=Breaking%20News&utm_content=543196_08-12-2024&utm_term=273056The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron confirmed that he does currently plan to direct the currently-untitled Avatar sequels, instead of potentially passing them on to a new helmer.

“Sure,” Cameron revealed. “Absolutely. I mean, they’re going to have to stop me. I got plenty of energy, love doing what I’m doing. Why would I not? And they’re written, by the way. I just reread both of them about a month ago. They’re cracking stories. They’ve got to get made. Look, if I get hit by a bus and I’m in an iron lung, somebody else is going to do it.”

What Will Avatar 3 Be About?

Avatar: Fire and Ash will not only continue to the narrative of The Way of Water, but will introduce a new Na’vi clan of volcano-dwelling “Ash People.” As the cast of The Way of Water revealed to ComicBook late last year, the prospect of what could be explored in the film is really enticing. 

“It was about 2015 when I was pushing my wife who was pregnant at the time,” franchise star Sam Worthington explained. “So we were pushing around a room with all these visuals, and the visuals was of this family story mapped out over this saga of however movies. It wasn’t even movies at that point. It was just this story that Jim [Cameron] was kind of campfire telling me and her, and I’m thinking, ‘I’m about to have a kid and about to follow this kind of adventure of a family was kind of had a weird parallel symmetry.’ I think that was very exciting that if we got the opportunity to tell the whole saga, that would be great.”

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With a juggernaut performance at the box office and multiple Oscar nominations, the Avatar franchise has become something special. The films, which are brought to life by James Cameron, have transported audiences to the alien world of Pandora for two decades now, and the third film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is on the horizon for 2025. Cameron has confirmed that he has plans for at least two more films in the franchise, and we now know at least one cast member who will be returning for them. Sigourney Weaver, who portrayed Grace Augustine in Avatar and Kiri in Avatar: The Way of Water, recently spoke about her work on the franchise with Deadline. When asked if she will make some sort of appearance in the currently-untitled fourth and fifth films, Weaver confirmed, “Yes, I think I’m allowed to say that.”

“I remember reading the script of the first Avatar and reading about these blue people with pointed ears and tails riding on these creatures through floating mountains … I couldn’t imagine any of it being shot,” Weaver said of her work on the franchise. “I honestly couldn’t imagine how he would ever make a film that looked like this and had these elements. But I’m so glad for Jim, and for the success of these films, which has meant we’re able to keep making them. I just finished working on Avatar 3 earlier this month, actually, and I think the series will continue to grow and be more and more hard-hitting…”

“They’re written,” Weaver said of Avatar 4 and 5. “We know what they are. They’re really good. But Jim is still finishing three. It’s nice to look forward to them.”

What Will Avatar 3 Be About?

Avatar: Fire and Ash will not only continue to the narrative of The Way of Water, but will introduce a new Na’vi clan of volcano-dwelling “Ash People.” As the cast of The Way of Water revealed to ComicBook, the prospect of what could be explored in the film is really enticing. 

“It was about 2015 when I was pushing my wife who was pregnant at the time,” franchise star Sam Worthington explained. “So we were pushing around a room with all these visuals, and the visuals was of this family story mapped out over this saga of however movies. It wasn’t even movies at that point. It was just this story that Jim [Cameron] was kind of campfire telling me and her, and I’m thinking, ‘I’m about to have a kid and about to follow this kind of adventure of a family was kind of had a weird parallel symmetry.’ I think that was very exciting that if we got the opportunity to tell the whole saga, that would be great.”

“I’ve read two and three, so, I know what happens in two and three and, yeah, I can say that… Well, at the table read we had two and three, which was like, you know, basically this much. And we had, we spent two whole days reading the whole movie,” Jack Champion teased.

Avatar: Fire and Ash will be released exclusively in theaters on December 19, 2025.

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Avatar director James Cameron has a disappointing update for fans: you’re going to have to wait a while before you see Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh on Pandora. 

While at the D23 Expo James Cameron confirmed to EW that Michelle Yeoh is NOT in the next Avatar film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which will be released in late 2025. So when WILL we see Yeoh join the Avatar franchise? 

“Michelle Yeoh won’t be in 3. She’s in 4 and 5,” Cameron said. “So that got a little bit misreported.”

So there you have it: Michelle Yeoh’s Avatar character will be making its debut in Avatar 4, and will be featured again in Avatar 5. Filming on Avatar: Fire and Ash was already completed; we got our first hints that Avatar 4 had begun filming back in 2022, with a recent update in July that filming had resumed after breaks for things like the 2023 Hollywood Strikes, and other logistical holdups. 

Cameron indirectly confirmed that Avatar 4 filming is underway again, by revealing that Michelle Yeoh is soon scheduled to film her portion of the movie: 

“She will be coming in soon to do her part, which is an interesting, fun character,” Cameron revealed. “We love Michelle. She was always a movie star, but she’s blown up into a huge, huge phenomenon. I look forward to working there.”

Yeoh was announced to be playing scientist Dr. Karina Mogue – a role that good be benevolent, diabolical, or a little bit both. Yeoh has earned major fan cred for her anti-hero role in the Star Trek Universe, a formidable mother in Crazy Rich Asians, and other such roles. Either way, most Avatar fans will be thrilled to see her join the franchise… whenever the eventually see her on screen. 

Cameron also explained that there’s a ticking clock hanging over the franchise’s production schedule – namely, the rapidly maturing young cast that was introduced in Avatar: The Way of Water. They have forced Cameron to shoot as much of these films as he could, as fast as he could, even while finishing and releasing each new sequel:

“This whole thing has been planned for years and years,” Cameron said. “The scripts were all written years ago, through the end of movie 5. So we’ve been working on parts of 4 even as we go along, mostly because we’ve got this young cast. We had to shoot them all while they were still young.”

Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water are streaming on Disney+. 

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The Avatar franchise has become a global juggernaut, transporting audiences everywhere into the world of Pandora. At last weekend’s D23 Expo, fans were treated to the official title and first concept art for the upcoming third film in the franchise, which we now know is titled Avatar: Fire and Ash. Even before Fire and Ash makes its debut in theaters, there have also been some early rumblings about fourth and fifth Avatar films, and it sounds like Cameron won’t be stepping away from the franchise anytime soon. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron confirmed that he does currently plan to direct the currently-untitled Avatar sequels, instead of potentially passing them on to a new helmer.

“Sure,” Cameron revealed. “Absolutely. I mean, they’re going to have to stop me. I got plenty of energy, love doing what I’m doing. Why would I not? And they’re written, by the way. I just reread both of them about a month ago. They’re cracking stories. They’ve got to get made. Look, if I get hit by a bus and I’m in an iron lung, somebody else is going to do it.”

What Will Avatar 3 Be About?

Avatar: Fire and Ash will not only continue to the narrative of The Way of Water, but will introduce a new Na’vi clan of volcano-dwelling “Ash People.” As the cast of The Way of Water revealed to ComicBook late last year, the prospect of what could be explored in the film is really enticing. 

“It was about 2015 when I was pushing my wife who was pregnant at the time,” franchise star Sam Worthington explained. “So we were pushing around a room with all these visuals, and the visuals was of this family story mapped out over this saga of however movies. It wasn’t even movies at that point. It was just this story that Jim [Cameron] was kind of campfire telling me and her, and I’m thinking, ‘I’m about to have a kid and about to follow this kind of adventure of a family was kind of had a weird parallel symmetry.’ I think that was very exciting that if we got the opportunity to tell the whole saga, that would be great.”

“I’ve read two and three, so, I know what happens in two and three and, yeah, I can say that… Well, at the table read we had two and three, which was like, you know, basically this much. And we had, we spent two whole days reading the whole movie,” Jack Champion teased.

Avatar: Fire and Ash will be released exclusively in theaters on December 19, 2025.

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Straight from the Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney has confirmed that the world of Avatar is growing here on Earth. The Disney California Adventure park will expand and become home to a new Avatar-themed area which draws inspiration from Avatar: The Way of Water and the other upcoming sequels (Avatar 3 recently confirmed its title as Avatar: Fire and Ash). Described as “a dynamic, intense and emotional experience,” the new area will not only allow guests to not only explore Pandora’s ecosystems but send them on a ride that lets them see the seas and all the beasts that live there, such as the whale-like Tulkun.

“We’re taking our guests to a whole new location on Pandora as all of you know our land in Florida is set in a rainforest amongst the floating mountains in the Mo’ara Valley which to me feels just like we’re stepping into the first Avatar film, “Ali Rubenstein, Executive Global Management-Creative Development, Walt Disney Imagineering said on stage at the event. “Our new destination we’re inspired by the second movie The Way of Water well as the upcoming Fire and Ash, and future Avatar films. It will be at a scale and at a level that is worthy of these epic stories one thing I’m particularly looking forward to is an innovative new attraction that will bring all the action all the excitement and all the wonder of Avatar to life in a completely new and thrilling way.”

She continued, “We’ll invite our guests to take the adventure of a lifetime as we join an excursion in search of majestic natural wonders that can only be found on Pandora. Along the way we’ll discover dense forests full of incredible animals and bioluminescent Flora taking us all the way to the wide open seas of Pandora but while this world can be beautiful if we lose our way it can also be dangerous. this is going to be a dynamic intense and emotional experience on a grand scale that we know our guests, all of you, are going to love.”

Just before the new Pandora expansion for Disney’s California Adventure was revealed however, a special tribute was made to Avatar series producer Jon Landau, who passed away on July 5th of this year. 

“I just want to take a moment to recognize one member of the Lightstorm team, Jon Landau, who passed away last month,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro. “As the producer of both Avatar films, John was instrumental in helping Disney Imagineers bring Pandora to life. John helped us create our Avatar theme land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom I actually had the chance to work closely with him as we developed that land and I was so fortunate to experience his passion and creativity firsthand. John loved the Disney Parks he loved working with Imagineersand cast members and he was so excited to be working with Imagineers on our next Avatar experience.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 19, 2025.

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At D23 today, Disney revealed that the third installment of James Cameron’s mega-hit Avatar series will be titled Avatar: Fire and Ash. The title seems like a mirror image of the 2022 title Avatar: The Way of Water, and likely reflects the heightened stakes for the third installment. The mood onstage was enthusiastic, but a bit more subdued than it otherwise might have been, owing to the recent passing of producer Jon Landau, whose name was projected on screens at D23. Avatar: Fire and Ash will be in Landau’s memory.

Very few details were given up at the presentation, although the official Avatar social media accounts have released a new logo and title treatment. You can see that here:

James Cameron’s Avatar was a shock to the cinematic system when it was released in 2009, opening modestly but continuing to make solid money for weeks and months until it became the highest-grossing film of all time. More than a decade later, Avatar: The Way of Water finally landed in theaters in 2022, and nearly did it again, earning over $2 billion, and making Cameron the director of three of the four highest grossing movies ever (Avatar at #1, Avatar 2 at #3, and Titanic at #4).  

“It’s just a continuation of the epic,” Cameron said back in February. “You’ll see new environments, new characters. The characters that you know and love will be challenged even more, and go through some trials and tribulations. I think it’s going to be a tougher ride than A2, in a good way.”

We won’t be waiting a decade for this sequel — they shot the second and third movies back to back — but Cameron explained in the interview that the process…well, it isn’t quick and easy. It’s actually a really bespoke process that involves building tools that operate to his exacting standards, and then using them over a course of years.

“We spent about eight years developing the tools,” Cameron explained. “We released the first Avatar in 2009, it played into 2010, we got busy. We didn’t start shooting the second and third film together until September of 2017, and that intervening time period was creating a whole new tool set to do water, to do the characters, with 100% accuracy to the emotion, the performance of the actors, so it was quite a technical development, and then it’s just a long, painstaking process. The capture itself goes fairly normally, like about at the pace of a normal movie, and then after that there’s a very long post-production tail where you make everything look 100% real.”

Avatar 3 is currently expected to be in theaters in December of 2025.

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Avatar and Titanic producer Jon Landau is dead at the age of 63. The Wrap reports that the blockbuster filmmaker had cancer and was undergoing treatment. James Cameron was Landau’s close collaborator for years. Together, the duo would rack-up multiple films to top the highest-grossing projects of all time list. Just Titanic and Avatar alone would be worth noting. But, there are hosts of others across his career. Landau was a vice president of Twentieth Century Fox back in the 1990s. He worked on fan-favorites like Die Hard 2, Honey I Shrunk the Kids and Dick Tracy. (A lot of Millennials are just realizing the presence this man had on their lives as film fans by going back through the catalog.)

Before the successes of Titanic and Avatar, Landau was born to film producers Ely and Edie Landau. The Hollywood fixture also went to USC’s School of Cinematic arts during his younger days. On social media, one of the first people to memorialize Landau was Frances Fisher. Of course, she played a massive role in Titanic. Back in the 1990s, the staggering success of that film helped pave the way for the blockbuster theater landscape we enjoy today. The family has not issued a statement and ComicBook will provide updates as they become available.

Landau Was Working on The Avatar Series and So Much More

The producer always seemed to be working on something related to one of these big franchises. Just last year, people were asking about the status of Alita: Battle Angel. Over the years, Landau’s science fiction adventure has amassed something of a cult following among fans of the genre and the manga. In an era where everything is on the table for revisiting, Landau told ScreenRant that they were exploring that possibility as recently as last year. He always seemed passinate about the host of characters that he created with James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez.

“We’re working on it,” Landau shared. “I think what we’ve learned from Avatar is how much more facial nuance and subtlety that we can get into characters that we want to be emotional and emote that are humanoid. Alita would not have been possible, but for what we did on Avatar. Avatar: Way of Water would not be what it is but what we did for Alita. And now let’s put that back and give it back to Alita. We’re talking to Robert and talking to Rosa and all is good.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends in this time.

The post Jon Landau, Avatar & Titanic Producer Dead at 63 appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It looks like we’re one step closer to returning to the world of Pandora. In a recent post on Instagram, Avatar alum Joel David Moore shared new photos from the New Zealand production of Avatar, while reminiscing about his work on the franchise. Moore has portrayed Norm Spellman in both 2009’s Avatar and 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. It is safe to assume that Moore’s production update is for Avatar 4, which has already begun filming and had been set to resume filming earlier this year following the 2023 Hollywood strikes.

“Heading back to Wellington NZ is always so nostalgic,” Moore’s post reads. “Been coming here for 17 years making this franchise, seeing familiar faces, friends, putting the hard work in, it’s like a home away from home at this point. The family has grown, but the work flow and mission is always the same. Thankful for my #Avatar fam and can’t wait for you to see what’s next! (Last pic is a flashback of me Sig Sam M Rod and our amazing kiwi crew from 17 yrs ago) ”

What Will Avatar 3 Be About?

Avatar 3 will not only continue to the narrative of The Way of Water, but will introduce a new Na’vi clan of volcano-dwelling “Ash People.” As the cast of The Way of Water revealed to ComicBook late last year, the prospect of what could be explored in Avatar 3 is really enticing. 

“It was about 2015 when I was pushing my wife who was pregnant at the time,” franchise star Sam Worthington explained. “So we were pushing around a room with all these visuals, and the visuals was of this family story mapped out over this saga of however movies. It wasn’t even movies at that point. It was just this story that Jim [Cameron] was kind of campfire telling me and her, and I’m thinking, ‘I’m about to have a kid and about to follow this kind of adventure of a family was kind of had a weird parallel symmetry.’ I think that was very exciting that if we got the opportunity to tell the whole saga, that would be great.”

“I’ve read two and three, so, I know what happens in two and three and, yeah, I can say that… Well, at the table read we had two and three, which was like, you know, basically this much. And we had, we spent two whole days reading the whole movie,” Jack Champion teased.

Will There Be an Avatar 4?

Initially, it was announced that Avatar would have as many as five sequels, and director James Cameron has already indicated that he shot a lot of footage for the forthcoming Avatar 4. While there’s no indication of that sequel’s plot, it sounds like it might exceed expectations.

“I can’t tell you the details, but all I can say is that when I turned in the script for 2, the studio gave me three pages of notes,” Cameron previously explained to Collider. “And when I turned in the script for 3, they gave me a page of notes, so I was getting better. When I turned in the script for 4, the studio executive, creative executive over the films wrote me an email that said, ‘Holy f-ck.’ And I said, ‘Well, where are the notes?’ And she said, ‘Those are the notes.’ Because it kind of goes nuts in a good way, right?”

Avatar 3 will be released exclusively in theaters on December 19, 2025.

The post Avatar Star Confirms Filming Has Resumed on Future Sequels appeared first on ComicBook.com.

James Cameron’s Avatar was a shock to the cinematic system when it was released in 2009, opening modestly but continuing to make solid money for weeks and months until it became the highest-grossing film of all time. More than a decade later, Avatar: The Way of Water finally landed in theaters last year, and nearly did it again, earning over $2 billion, and making Cameron the director of three of the four highest grossing movies ever (Avatar at #1, Avatar 2 at #3, and Titanic at #4). In an interview on the red carpet at this weekend’s Saturn Awards, the filmmaker teased that the upcoming third installment in the franchise will be “a tougher ride” than The Way of Water, and will present totally new challenges to the characters.

Cameron, on hand to accept awards for Best Science Fiction Film, Direction, Screenwriting and Visual Effects at the genre-friendly awards show, told interviewers that he was happy to keep playing in the Avatar universe for a while. Asked to tease the third movie, he gave vague — but intriguing — sound bytes. 

“It’s just a continuation of the epic,” Cameron told Mama’s Geeky. “You’ll see new environments, new characters. The characters that you know and love will be challenged even more, and go through some trials and tribulations. I think it’s going to be a tougher ride than A2, in a good way.”

You can see the clip below.

We won’t be waiting a decade for this sequel — they shot the second and third movies back to back — but Cameron explained in the interview that the process…well, it isn’t quick and easy. It’s actually a really bespoke process that involves building tools that operate to his exacting standards, and then using them over a course of years.

“We spent about eight years developing the tools,” Cameron explained. “We released the first Avatar in 2009, it played into 2010, we got busy. We didn’t start shooting the second and third film together until September of 2017, and that intervening time period was creating a whole new tool set to do water, to do the characters, with 100% accuracy to the emotion, the performance of the actors, so it was quite a technical development, and then it’s just a long, painstaking process. The capture itself goes fairly normally, like about at the pace of a normal movie, and then after that there’s a very long post-production tail where you make everything look 100% real.”

Avatar 3 is currently expected to be in theaters in December of 2025.

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Avatar 4 is set to start filming sooner than expected. Sam Worthington told PEOPLE that one month from now, the movie will be back to work. It’s no surprise that James Cameron wants to get cracking on future entries after the success of Avatar: The Way of Water. He’s actually been tucking away footage for the third entry in the franchise where he can. Worthington said, “We go back to work on it in a month and it’s big. It’s bigger than you can imagine.” That should hype people who were enamored with the scale of the second Avatar movie. However, that release date for Avatar 3 is still a very big ways off. 

A few weeks ago, Cameron also spoke to PEOPLE about how the third Avatar movie was progressing. He said that the project was “right on track.” Obviously, because of the actors and writers strikes, production had to pause over the summer. That little break moved the release date for Avatar 3 all the way to December 19 2025. (That’s basically an entire year from the proposed December 2024 release date the project previously held.) However, if the Avatar franchise has taught observers one thing, its that audiences will wait for these movies. People came out in droves to see Avatar: The Way of Water in droves and that’s unlikely to change next time out.

Avatar 4 Is Truly Wild

According to Director James Cameron, avatar for a set to be truly wild. When approaching the executives at 20th Century Studios, the beloved filmmaker delivered his vision for the sequel. After a spirited “Holy f***” from the executive present, the plan for the movie marched forward. Collider asked Cameron about the plans for another trip to Pandora. Fans have been waiting in suspense for a while now and Avatar 3 isn’t even scheduled to release until deep in 2025.

“I can’t tell you the details, but all I can say is that when I turned in the script for 2, the studio gave me three pages of notes,” Cameron told the outlet. “And when I turned in the script for 3, they gave me a page of notes, so I was getting better. When I turned in the script for 4, the studio executive, creative executive over the films wrote me an email that said, ‘Holy f-ck.’ And I said, ‘Well, where are the notes?’ And she said, ‘Those are the notes.’ Because it kind of goes nuts in a good way, right?”

So Much of Avatar Is In Production

Avatar‘s big franchise plans continue to move forward at a wild clip. Cameron told Variety that parts of 3 have already been shot. So, the filmmaker is getting the lead out when it comes to moving the story of Jake Sully and his family forward. Will this apply to the fourth entry? It sure seems like it.

“2 is fully in the can,” Cameron revealed at the time. “We have a working cut that we’re filling in the visual effects within. I feel pretty confident with that film. 3 is still a bit shadowy. It’s way too long. I haven’t really turned my energy into a disciplined cutting process on that yet. But I know I’ve got the performances. That’s the important thing. I’ve done all the capture. I’ve done most of the live-action shooting. I still owe a little bit on some of the adult characters. We were more concerned with the kids aging out.”

“We mixed the schedules for 2 and 3 together, based on the types of scenes and the environments. I said, let’s just treat it like it’s a six-hour miniseries and we’re only going to go to Frankfurt once,” he would add. “We’re going to shoot all the scenes from 2 and 3 at the same time. That was more or less the motif. Actor availability was an issue as well. Anything that had to be done with a specific actor, we did all the scenes for 2 and 3 together — and a little bit of 4. Because once again, I had to shoot the kids out. They’re allowed to age six years in the middle of the story on page 25 of movie 4. So I needed everything before then, and then everything after, we’ll do later.’

When do you think we’ll get Avatar 4? Let us know down in the comments!

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The sprawling nature of the Avatar franchise and the inventive storytelling demonstrated by filmmaker James Cameron time and time again means that even the most devout fan is largely in the dark about what the future could hold for the franchise. With Avatar 3 currently expected to land in theaters in December of 2025, Cameron recently confirmed that the follow-up to that film, Avatar 4, will feature a more substantial jump forward in time than seen in other films. The initial plan for Avatar films was to release them every two years, and while it will have been three years between Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3, there will reportedly be a four-year wait until Avatar 4 in 2029.

“We did the capture on [Avatar 3] and the live-action photography on 3 as an intermingled production with [Avatar: The Way of Water], and we even did part of [Avatar 4] because our young characters are all going to have a big time jump in movie 4,” Cameron confirmed to People. “We see them and then we go away for six years and we come back. And so the part where we come back is the part we haven’t shot yet. So we’ll start on that after 3 is released.”

The wait between the debut Avatar and The Way of Water was 13 years, so a three-year wait for the third installment will come as a relief to audiences. The filmmaker also confirmed that the nature of the franchise means that he was able to obtain a significant chunk of footage for the upcoming sequel, which he also described as being a more straightforward process than The Way of Water.

“3 is actually much more straightforward than [The Way of Water],” Cameron confirmed of shooting. “2, we got hit with the pandemic in the middle of it and we were interrupted, and then we had to reboot and reboot the production and all that sort of thing. And it was a scramble to get it done.”

As cemented with The Way of Water, future sequels are set to explore Na’vi tribes that are connected to other elements, with the nature of filming complex water-based scenes making for more complications than other elements. Much is unknown about both Avatar 3 and Avatar 4, but these comments from Cameron are sure to excite fans.

Stay tuned for updates on the Avatar sequels.

Are you looking forward to the upcoming installments? Let us know in the comments!

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A newcomer to Avatar: The Way of Water is returning for the franchise’s third outing in a couple of years. According to Avatar helmer James Cameron, Kate Winslet’s Ronal will appear in Avatar 3. Not just that, but Winslet’s apparently been putting in some serious, real-world work as she prepares for her role.

“When you see her [Winslet] doing that purification ritual to try to revive Kitty in the film and some of the stuff that she’s going to do in movie three, that’s based on actual practice,” the director said in a new chat with PEOPLE Magazine.

Winslet previously told ComicBook.com the franchise was attractive to her because of the tribal-based storytelling of her character’s underwater tribe.

“He just asked me and I think I admired the first Avatar. Loved it so much in the same way that we all did. And you know, Jim is an incredible writer of strong female roles and he was one of the first to be really doing that,” Winslet explained. “And when he described Ronal to me and said that she was the female, sort of goddess warrior leader of the water tribe, I just thought, I mean, to me, that’s proper sort of music to my ears. So, the idea of playing someone like that who was a leader in that way, the water element was very important to me. I love water. It’s a big part of my life, always has been, and to work with Jim and the other cast, I was just very excited.”

What is Avatar 3 about?

Little is known about Avatar 3, though Cameron previously admitted studio executives had little in the way of notes for the filmmaker after reading the scripts for both the threequel and Avatar 4.

“I can’t tell you the details, but all I can say is that when I turned in the script for 2, the studio gave me three pages of notes,” Cameron explained to Collider. “And when I turned in the script for 3, they gave me a page of notes, so I was getting better. When I turned in the script for 4, the studio executive, creative executive over the films wrote me an email that said, ‘Holy f-ck.’ And I said, ‘Well, where are the notes?’ And she said, ‘Those are the notes.’ Because it kind of goes nuts in a good way, right?”

The first two Avatar films are now streaming on Disney+ while Avatar 3 is still set for release on December 19, 2025.

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Avatar producer Jon Landau is doing a geeky deep-dive into Na’vi culture with his latest interview, which is promoting the imminent release of the new franchise game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which invites players to “Become Na’vi” in a “first-person, action-adventure game set in the open world of the Western Frontier of Pandora.” 

Naturally, the opportunity for Avatar fans to jump into the world of the film, and inhabit the character of a Na’vi person, raises a lot more specific questions about the nature of the aliens,  their culture, and of course, their big, blue, phsyiology. 

Can Na’vi Grow Hair? 

“Yeah I would say some Na’vi clans can,” Landau explained to ComicBook.com. “Again: I think it’s a cultural thing. It’s a biological thing. And we want to present different clans – but I would say ‘Yes,’ Na’vi can grow facial hair.” 

Josh Izzo, the Executive VP of Franchise Development for Avatar directly contradicted Landau in his own statement, claiming that “the answer is no,” when it comes to Na’vi facial hair. That said, Izzo did distinguish between the native Na’vi people of Pandora and avatar body transfers like Jake Sully (Sam Worthington): 

“Now Jake, though – and if you notice this it’s very interesting in the film [Avatar: The Way of Water] – Jake has biological children and one adopted child. His oldest son Neteyam and youngest daughter Tuk have more of their mother in them, whereas Lo’ak … the middle son, has more of him. Because Lo’ak has four fingers and a thumb like Jake as an avatar – but also Lo’ak has eyebrows, whereas the other two… biological children do not. And neither does Neytitri. So Jake has eyebrows, and Jake can – to a degree –  grow different types of hair, because they are a biological mix of human and Na’vi DNA, whereas core, on-moon Na’vi don’t have that gene. And Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), their adopted daughter, she also has eyebrows because she was born from an avatar.”

With the amount of insight that Izzo just provided, it seems pretty clear now that John Landau isn’t necessarily in touch with all the details about the Na’vi. James Cameron and the Avatar franchise team clearly thought-out the details to such a degree that even the rules of facial hair growth seem to follow an established path of logic and consideration – and that’s before a team of animators has to make all that hair growth (or non-growth) like 3D photorealistic. 

Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water are both streaming on Disney+. 

The post Avatar’s Jon Landau Answers Crucial Franchise Question: Can Na’Vi Grow Facial Hair? (Exclusive) appeared first on ComicBook.com.

At one point or another, James Cameron suggested the title of his third Avatar movie might be Avatar: The Seed Bearer. For those who raised an eyebrow at the peculiar name, you need not worry. Avatar franchise producer Jon Landau tells us that’s definitely not the case. In no way, shape, or form will the threequel be titled Avatar: The Seed Bearer according to the producer.

“I’m qualified to tell you that that is not the title for Avatar 3,” Landau told us at an event in support of the Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora video game. “That’s what my Wikipedia page says? That is getting changed tonight!”

Little is known about the plot of the third Avatar film, other than the idea that it will introduce an entirely new Na’vi clan, one that resides in a volcanic locale on Pandaora.

Cameron confirmed a rumored list of titles back in 2019. At the time the list also included Avatar: The Way of Water, a name that we now know was real. “I can neither confirm nor deny,” Cameron told ET before relenting. “All right, here’s what I’ll tell ya. Those titles are among titles that are in consideration. And no final decisions have been made yet.”

Will There Be an Avatar 4?

Given just how popular both Avatar films have been, both critically and commercially, Disney’s likely not giving up on the Avatar franchise anytime soon. In fact, Cameron has already indicated that he shot a lot of footage for the forthcoming Avatar 4. There have also been reports Cameron’s working on Avatar 5 as well.

“I can’t tell you the details, but all I can say is that when I turned in the script for 2, the studio gave me three pages of notes,” Cameron explained to Collider. “And when I turned in the script for 3, they gave me a page of notes, so I was getting better. When I turned in the script for 4, the studio executive, creative executive over the films wrote me an email that said, ‘Holy f-ck.’ And I said, ‘Well, where are the notes?’ And she said, ‘Those are the notes.’ Because it kind of goes nuts in a good way, right?”

The first two Avatar films are now streaming on Disney+ while Avatar 3 is still set for release on December 19, 2025.

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We’ll have to wait a little while longer for the world of Pandora to return to the big screen. In a recent interview with TV New Zealand, Avatar franchise director James Cameron revealed what the status of Avatar 3 is, hinting that the film is maintaining a good momentum amid its years of post-production. According to Cameron, Avatar 3 is still on track to make its previously scheduled theatrical debut of December 19, 2025.

“We’re into a very hectic two years of post production right now, so it’ll be Christmas of ’25,” Cameron confirmed.

What Will Avatar 3 Be About?

Avatar 3 will not only continue to the narrative of The Way of Water, but will introduce a new Na’vi clan of volcano-dwelling “Ash People.” As the cast of The Way of Water revealed to ComicBook.com late last year, the prospect of what could be explored in Avatar 3 is really enticing. 

“It was about 2015 when I was pushing my wife who was pregnant at the time,” Sam Worthington explained. “So we were pushing around a room with all these visuals, and the visuals was of this family story mapped out over this saga of however movies. It wasn’t even movies at that point. It was just this story that Jim [Cameron] was kind of campfire telling me and her, and I’m thinking, ‘I’m about to have a kid and about to follow this kind of adventure of a family was kind of had a weird parallel symmetry.’ I think that was very exciting that if we got the opportunity to tell the whole saga, that would be great.”

“I’ve read two and three, so, I know what happens in two and three and, yeah, I can say that… Well, at the table read we had two and three, which was like, you know, basically this much. And we had, we spent two whole days reading the whole movie,” Jack Champion teased.

Will There Be an Avatar 4?

Initially, it was announced that Avatar would have as many as five sequels, and Cameron has already indicated that he shot a lot of footage for the forthcoming Avatar 4. While there’s no indication of that sequel’s plot, it sounds like it might exceed expectations.

“I can’t tell you the details, but all I can say is that when I turned in the script for 2, the studio gave me three pages of notes,” Cameron explained to Collider. “And when I turned in the script for 3, they gave me a page of notes, so I was getting better. When I turned in the script for 4, the studio executive, creative executive over the films wrote me an email that said, ‘Holy f-ck.’ And I said, ‘Well, where are the notes?’ And she said, ‘Those are the notes.’ Because it kind of goes nuts in a good way, right?”

What do you think of the newest details surrounding Avatar 3? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

The post Avatar 3 Release Date Confirmed by James Cameron appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has gotten a brand new trailer that showcases its various PC features. Despite being the highest-grossing film of all-time, it took over a decade to get a sequel to Avatar and there was very little attempt to keep the sci-fi franchise alive in other mediums. There was a video game from Ubisoft to tie-in to the first film, but it was pretty standard for a movie tie-in game and generally unremarkable. The series laid dormant after that, but Ubisoft was confirmed to be working on a new game in the late 2010s while James Cameron started working on Avatar: The Way of Water and its subsequent sequels.

Now that Avatar: The Way of Water is out and a certified hit, all eyes are on Ubisoft’s Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to keep the momentum going. The first look at the game was released this summer and revealed it’s a first-person game where you play as a Na’vi and are able to utilize human technology as well as Na’vi weapons/gear/creatures to take back the forests of Pandora. It looks pretty exciting and like a worthy extension of the growing Avatar universe and a new trailer suggests that Ubisoft will be doing a solid job of bringing the Avatar world to life. Given the amount of money, time, and resources James Cameron poured in to bringing Pandora to life with such vivid imagery, it puts a lot of pressure on Ubisoft to do it right. Thankfully, the trailer showcases a lot of features for the new PC version of the game and makes it look like a visual showcase.

As of right now, we have no idea how Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will turn out. Some people think it’s a bit too identical to Far Cry which could make it less exciting given how many Far Cry games there have been. Either way, it should be an interesting to see if Ubisoft manages to pull it off as it could lead to more Avatar games in the future.

Avatar 3 Release Date

Avatar 3 was intended to release in December 2024, but it was unfortunately delayed to December 2025 earlier this year. It was noted by producers that they need more time to work on the film. Given the immense success of Avatar: The Way of Water, it’s no surprise that Disney even allotted the team behind it the opportunity to continue cracking away at the sequels. It’s possible that spacing them out will lead to even greater success as people won’t be fatigued by the films.

What is Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora About?

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will not adapt any of the films in the franchise, but will instead expand on the world we already know. Players will explore a new area of Pandora and fill the shoes of a Na’vi that wakes up after being put in stasis and waking up 15 years later to find the RDA have started conquering Pandora. It’s up to you to work with the tribes to fight back against the RDA and reclaim your home. It’s expected that the game will have some ties to the films, though it’s not clear to what degree as it’s still intended to be a standalone game.

The post Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Gets Gorgeous New PC Trailer With Explosive Gameplay appeared first on ComicBook.com.

Both 2009’s Avatar and 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water were absolute smashes at the box office, with both blockbuster films grossing over $1 billion worldwide. Now that The Way of Water recently made its debut on streaming services, the film has crossed another milestone. On Thursday, it was confirmed that Avatar: The Way of Water topped the Nielsen Top 10 ratings for the week of June 5-11, 2023. Between streams on both Disney+ and Max, Avatar: The Way of Water was streamed a total of 1.9 billion minutes in that week.

“I’m not thinking of it in those terms,” director James Cameron previously said of The Way of Water‘s box office performance. “I’m thinking of it in the terms of we’re going back to theaters around the world. They’re even going back to theaters in China where they’re having this big COVID surge. We’re saying as a society, ‘We need this! We need to go to theaters.’ Enough with the streaming already! I’m tired of sitting on my ass.”

What Will Avatar 3 Be About?

Avatar 3 is set to make its debut in theaters on December 19, 2025, and will not only continue to the narrative of The Way of Water, but will introduce a new Na’vi clan of volcano-dwelling “Ash People.” As the cast of The Way of Water revealed to ComicBook.com‘s Brandon Davis late last year, the prospect of what could be explored in Avatar 3 is really enticing. 

“It was about 2015 when I was pushing my wife who was pregnant at the time,” Sam Worthington explained. “So we were pushing around a room with all these visuals, and the visuals was of this family story mapped out over this saga of however movies. It wasn’t even movies at that point. It was just this story that Jim [Cameron] was kind of campfire telling me and her, and I’m thinking, ‘I’m about to have a kid and about to follow this kind of adventure of a family was kind of had a weird parallel symmetry.’ I think that was very exciting that if we got the opportunity to tell the whole saga, that would be great.”

“I’ve read two and three, so, I know what happens in two and three and, yeah, I can say that… Well, at the table read we had two and three, which was like, you know, basically this much. And we had, we spent two whole days reading the whole movie,” Jack Champion teased.

What is Avatar 2 about?

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family, the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. The film will see the return of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald.

New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, and CJ Jones.

What did you think of Avatar: The Way of Water? How do you feel about its streaming performance? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

The post Avatar: The Way of Water Has Huge Streaming Debut appeared first on ComicBook.com.

The long delay for the release of Avatar 5 has garnered a hilarious reaction from star Zoe Saldaña. Disney shuffled its release future release dates for several projects, including those found under the Marvel, Star Wars, and Avatar banners. As a possible reaction to the current writers’ strike, Disney set new release dates for Avatar 3, Avatar 4, and Avatar 5. It’s the latter date that raises the most eyebrows, however, with Disney slating it for December 19, 2031. This would be 22 years after the premiere of the original Avatar back in 2009. This didn’t go unnoticed by Saldaña, who had a clever joke about how old she’d be reprising her role as Neytiri when Avatar 5 comes out.

“Great! I’m gonna be 53 when the last Avatar movie comes out,” Zoe Saldaña wrote in a post to her Instagram Stories alongside a photo of Neytiri. “I was 27 when I shot the very first Avatar movie. The Guardians of the Galaxy star isn’t the only person involved in Avatar 5 that will be up in age. For example, her co-star Sam Worthington will be 55 years old, and director James Cameron will be 77 years old.

Avatar 3 was originally set for a 2024 release, with Disney scheduling each of the remaining three films two years apart. Avatar 3 will now bow on December 19, 2025, followed by Avatar 4 on December 21, 2029.

Avatar 3 Behind-the-Scenes Photo Revealed

Avatar producer Jon Landau revealed a new behind-the-scenes photo in response to the delays to the franchise’s next three films.

“Each Avatar film is an exciting but epic undertaking that takes time to bring to the quality level we as filmmakers strive for and audiences have come to expect,” Jon Landau tweeted alongside a new image. “The team is hard at work and can’t wait to bring audiences back to Pandora in December 2025.”

Cameron shot 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3 in September 2017. In November 2018, Cameron announced he wrapped filming with the principal cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet. Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and David Thewlis (the Harry Potter franchise) are among the new additions to the cast.

Plot details remain under wraps, but Avatar 3 will explore the dynamics between Sully (Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana), and Ronal (Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis).

“There’s a lot going on between husbands and wives and between the two husbands and the two wives,” Rick Jaffa, who co-wrote the threequel with Amanda Silver, teased about the threequel. “There are a lot of dynamics set up that continue to play out.”

“You have this kind of deeply relatable series of dynamics, inter-family, interpersonal, inter-clan, played out on these incredibly inflated scales of different worlds,” Silver added. “The clans that you’re going to meet and the worlds that you’re going to find on Pandora — you can’t even imagine what they are. Just like the tulkun were a revelation for this movie, there’s lots more of that stuff to come. It’s incredibly exciting, the story that happens to the Sullys. You couldn’t predict it.”

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James Cameron will be returning to the world of Pandora later than scheduled. On Tuesday, Disney’s 20th Century Studios delayed the next three Avatar sequels: the untitled Avatar 3 moved from December 20th, 2024, to December 19th, 2025; Avatar 4 moved from December 18th, 2026, to December 21st, 2029; and the fifth and final installment, Avatar 5, moved from December 22nd, 2028, to December 19th, 2031. (Disney also reshuffled its Marvel Studios slate and dated the live-action Moana for 2025 and a new Star Wars movie for December 18th, 2026, taking Avatar 4‘s vacated release date.) 

“Each Avatar film is an exciting but epic undertaking that takes time to bring to the quality level we as filmmakers strive for and audiences have come to expect,” franchise producer Jon Landau tweeted alongside a new image. “The team is hard at work and can’t wait to bring audiences back to Pandora in December 2025.”

Cameron shot 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3 in September 2017. In November 2018, Cameron announced he wrapped filming with the principal cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet. Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and David Thewlis (the Harry Potter franchise) are among the new additions to the cast.

Plot details remain under wraps, but Avatar 3 will explore the dynamics between Sully (Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana), and Ronal (Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis).

“There’s a lot going on between husbands and wives and between thetwo husbands and the two wives,” Rick Jaffa, who co-wrote the threequel with Amanda Silver, teased about the threequel. “There are a lot ofdynamics set up that continue to play out.”

“You have this kind of deeply relatable series of dynamics,inter-family, interpersonal, inter-clan, played out on these incrediblyinflated scales of different worlds,” Silver added. “The clans thatyou’re going to meet and the worlds that you’re going to find on Pandora— you can’t even imagine what they are. Just like the tulkun were arevelation for this movie, there’s lots more of that stuff to come. It’sincredibly exciting, the story that happens to the Sullys. You couldn’tpredict it.”

Avatar 3 is now scheduled to open in theaters on December 19th, 2025.

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Since going on strike this past May, the Writer’s Guild of America has put a pause on just about every Hollywood project currently in pre-production. While some were able to submit final drafts of scripts before the strike commenced, such as James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy, the bulk of blossoming films and television shows have been put on an indefinite hiatus until writers are able to return to work. While the strike has only be active for a little over one month, the looming possibility of a SAG-AFTRA strike as well could put the entire entertainment industry on pause.

Disney has seemingly directly reacted to the uncertain future by shifting a number of blockbuster projects over the course of the next decade. Among them are the next three Avatar films.

• Avatar 3 moves to December 19th, 2025
• Avatar 4 moves to December 21st, 2029
• Avatar 5 moves to December 19th, 2031

Avatar finds itself in a unique position. As of December 2022, producer Jon Landau revealed that they have already shot “95%” of Avatar 3 as well as the “first act” of the fourth film. Beyond that, the pentalogy has all three remaining scripts completed. It’s unclear as to how much Avatar 3 is being impacted by the WGA strike and a potential SAG-AFTRA strike.

The galaxy far, far away is also pivoting. While no specific titles are known at this point, the next three Star Wars theatrical releases are moving to new dates.

• Untitled Star Wars movie moves to December 19th, 2025
• Untitled Star Wars movie moves to May 22nd, 2026
• Untitled Star Wars movie moves to December 18th, 2026

While which Star Wars movie is which is unknown, there are a number of confirmed stories in development. It was announced earlier this year at Star Wars Celebration that Daisy Ridley would be reprising her role as Rey in an upcoming film set after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Directors Taika Waititi and James Mangold also have Star Wars movie in development. Disney+ Star Wars guru Dave Filoni is working on a feature film that will culminate the events of streaming shows The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka.

Beyond those two blockbuster franchises, Disney has also delayed seven upcoming Marvel films. This includes both Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, which will now arrive in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively.

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Disney and 20th Century Studios released the sequel to 2009’s Avatar, and it made a pretty big splash on the internet as well as at the box office. Avatar: The Way of Water quickly became the third-highest grossing film of all time, and it even won an Oscar. Director James Cameron has been hard at work doing post-production on the upcoming third film in the franchise, and it’s expected to hit theaters next year. Avatar 3 will bring back most of the actors from Avatar: The Way of Water, including Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, and even Sigourney Weaver. In a new interview with Screen Rant, the Avatar 3 star revealed that they’re about to do reshoots.

“I know that in January, I go back and probably do some pickups, I don’t think there are whole new scenes to be shot. I think it’s going to be refining what [James Cameron’s] got now that he’s closing in on the edit, because he always has too much material. He loves to shoot. I wouldn’t even begin to guess of what we might be doing, but I think it’s just maybe going back to a couple of moments and giving him some footage that he didn’t get the way he wants to,” Weaver said before revealing that she has not seen any footage. “No, it’s not that kind of thing, it’s top secret even for us. [Chuckles] And then, probably when I go back in January and do a day on it, they will show me 20 minutes of it, but otherwise, I’m just in the dark, just like everybody 

Avatar: The Way of Water Won Best Visual Effects at Oscars

Avatar: The Way of Water took home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects during the 95th Academy Awards, with the gold going to production senior visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri, WETA FX senior animation supervisor Daniel Barrett, and WETA FX visual effects supervisors Richard Baneham and Eric Seindon. For the win, Disney/20th Century Studios’ Avatar 2 beat out Tom Cruise’s high-flying Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures), German-language war drama remake All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix), DC’s dark and gritty Dark Knight reboot The Batman (Warner Bros. Pictures), and Marvel Studios superhero blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Walt Disney Pictures).

Cameron’s Avatar sequel went into Oscars night with a total of four nominations, including Best Picture, Best Sound, and Best Production Design. The original 2009 Avatar also won the Best Visual Effects Oscar and took home awards for art direction and cinematography.

Avatar: The Way of Water is available on all major digital retailers including Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, and Movies Anywhere. It will also be available on Disney+ and Max starting June 7th. Avatar 3 is scheduled to be released on December 20, 2024.

What do you think about Avatar 3 doing reshoots? Are you excited for the next film in the franchise? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!

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John Refoua, the editor of James Cameron’s Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, has died. He was 58. His wife, Serena Refoua, announced that the Oscar-nominated Avatar editor was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer, 15 months ago and was editing the upcoming Avatar 3 “right up to his final weeks” before his death on May 14th. Along with his Oscar nomination for 2009’s Avatar, which he shared with co-editors Cameron and Stephen E. Rivkin, Refoua was awarded theBroadcast Film Critics Association Award and the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for editing. He was also a BAFTA Awards nominee for his work on the original Avatar, which remains the highest-grossing film of all time.

Remembering her “brilliant, sweet, creative husband John Djahanshah Refoua,” Serena wrote on Facebook that Refoua died “surrounded by family and friends who loved him. He was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare bile duct cancer, 15 months ago. Despite the pain and complexities of this aggressive disease, he faced it with courage and grit. He continued to work and edit on James Cameron’s Avatar 3 right up to his final weeks.”

She continued: “His life’s trajectory was quite unique and anything he touched, he made better. He loved music, movies, politics, traveling, vintage cars, science fiction, and his 4-year-old granddaughter Avery Sophia. We will miss his generosity and wisdom.”

In lieu of flowers, Serena asked that donations in Refoua’s name be made to The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, the leading global resource in research, education, and public awareness that is on a mission to find a cure and improve the quality of life for those affected by bile duct cancer.

In addition to the first three Avatar movies, Refoua’s credits include The Equalizer (2014), Southpaw (2015), The Magnificent Seven (2016), Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), and Geostorm (2017). On television, Refoua served as an editor on Touched by an Angel (1994), Law & Order (1999), Ally McBeal (2002), Dark Angel (2000-2002), CSI: Miami (2002-2011), Sleepy Hollow (2013), and most recently, The Whispers (2015).

Refoua’s final completed film was Avatar: The Way of Water, Cameron’s 13-years-later sequel to the original that grossed $2.32 billion to become the highest-grossing film of 2022 and the third highest-grossing film of all time behind Avatar and Avengers: Endgame.

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Avatar: The Way of Water didn’t turn to be the massive gamble so many once thought it was – in fact, it’s looking like one of the best business decisions that 20th Century Studios and James Cameron ever made. 

According to a recent analysis, Avatar 2 has earned over half a billion dollars ($531.7 million) in estimated profit since its release – a nice margin of the $2.317 billion the film earned worldwide at the box office. 

Avatar creator James Cameron was shockingly clear before The Way of Water’s release, stating in interviews that, on paper, making the sequel “the worst business case in movie history,” since recouping the cost of the production required that  it would “have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history.” 

Well, as it stands Avatar: The Way of Water did end up being the third-highest-grossing film of all time, with the first Avatar and Avengers: Endgame still retaining the no. 1 and no. 2 spots, respectively. Having hit the mark, it’s no surprise then that Avatar 2 has made a nice profit, and Deadline’s breakdown indicates there are more profits to come: 

As the third highest-grossing movie of all time with $2.3 billion, behind Avatar’s $2.9 billion and Avengers: Endgame’s $2.79 billion, Deadline sources deem Avatar: The Way of Water profitable with $531.7 million. And that doesn’t include the ancillary revenue from Avatar’s presence at Disney theme parks, which the conglom also counts on its books.

This will no doubt give Disney and 20th Century Studios all the confidence needed to pull ahead with Cameron’s plans for Avatar 3, Avatar 4, and Avatar 5. Disney had previously planned to have Cameron’s movies alternate years of release with big Star Wars movies – though it’s unclear what that timeline looks like now, as both franchises (like the industry) have seen major shifts in the years since COVID. 

According to Avatar franchise Zoe Saldana, however, cameras on Avatar 3 should start rolling this summer: 

“We’re gonna go back this summer and finish it [Avatar 3] up. We’re 70% done there. But, we have time…. How stoked are we? We’re pinching ourselves, but nobody more than James Cameron. Jimbo is pinching himself going ‘I told you, man, I bet on the right people.’ And we bet on him over and over again. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of him and his entire team. I feel so lucky to be a part of something that gets to really change lives and change cinema’s history. I just love it.”

Avatar: The Way of Water is available to watch on Digital. Avatar 3 is headed into production. 

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Avatar: The Way of Water has finally arrived on digital platforms for viewing at home, and fans are already combing through the bonus materials. As noticed by a fan on the Avatar subreddit, the included making of documentary, “Building the World of Pandora,”  which clocks in at two and a half hours, may have revealed a spoiler by accident. Early on in the doc a close-up shot of a screenplay is shown on screen very briefly. This moment was noticed and subsequently transcribed by fans, revealing a potentially big piece of the puzzle for the upcoming Avatar 3. Potential spoilers follow! 

There are two big things seen on the two script pages that will make fans of the Avatar series raise their eyebrows. The first of these is that a tense but friendly relationship is starting to form between Jake Sully and Colonel Miles Quaritch. This seems to have sprouted from both of them caring for Spider, Quaritch being his biological father and Jake having raised him on Pandora for most of his life. In the script pages that have been deciphered, their relationship remains largely adversarial, though common ground surrounding Spider seems to have settled them down a bit.

The second big reveal concerns Spider himself. According to the pages, what can be read at least, the young man has adapted to the environment on Pandora and can now breath the air on his own. Having worn a respirator mask for most of his life, being able to breath the toxic air of the planet is a major shift for the character. There’s also the reveal that the Sully family has returned to High Camp, their original home at the start of Avatar: The Way of Water, and former marine turned avatar Wainfleet is still alive and well too.

Now of course we must acknowledge the potential that these pages are not real. As fans know, the Avatar sequels were being shot at the same time so the scripts were written before production had began. Knowing that, it would certainly make sense that some of the footage seen in this making of feature would include bits and pieces of Avatar sequels that haven’t even come out. Again though, that’s assuming this is even accurate.

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Even before Avatar: The Way of Water was released last year, director James Cameron had been touting how far ahead they were on the rest of the franchise. More than once it was confirmed the second movie was shot alongside the third movie, with reports also arising that footage from Avatar 4 was also shot at the time. In a new interview however franchise star Zoe Saldana seemed to indicate there was still work to be done. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight at The Oscars (H/T Screen Rant), Saldana revealed that this summer will see the cast reconvene to film more footage for the sequel.

When asked by the outlet if the third movie was finished filming, Saldana replied: “Yeah, I mean, we’re gonna go back this summer and finish it up. We’re 70% done there. But, we have time.” ET added that Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh is set to make her debut in the series with the third film, prompting Saldana to add: “How stoked are we? We’re pinching ourselves, but nobody more than James Cameron. Jimbo is pinching himself going ‘I told you, man, I bet on the right people.’ And we bet on him over and over again. I’m proud of him. I’m proud of him and his entire team. I feel so lucky to be a part of something that gets to really change lives and change cinemas history. I just love it.”

An official title for Avatar 3 has not been confirmed just yet, but we do have an idea of what we’ll likely be able to find when the sequel does land. Screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver previously teased to Variety some elements of the plot of the third movie — particularly, the dynamic between Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) Tonowari (Cliff Curtis), and Ronal (Kate Winslet).

“There’s a lot going on between husbands and wives and between the two husbands and the two wives,” Jaffa explained. “There are a lot of dynamics set up that continue to play out.”

“You have this kind of deeply relatable series of dynamics, inter-family, interpersonal, inter-clan, played out on these incredibly inflated scales of different worlds,” Silver echoed. “The clans that you’re going to meet and the worlds that you’re going to find on Pandora — you can’t even imagine what they are. Just like the tulkun were a revelation for this movie, there’s lots more of that stuff to come. It’s incredibly exciting, the story that happens to the Sullys. You couldn’t predict it.”

Avatar 3 is scheduled to be released on December 20, 2024.

Read More Avatar: The Way of Water Content:

• Avatar 2 Writers Tease the Mystery of Sigourney Weaver’s “Na’vi Jesus”
• Avatar: The Way of Water VFX Supervisor Rushed to Surgery After Oscar Win
• Avatar’s James Cameron Has Interesting New Answer About TV Series Potential
  

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James Cameron has been on a bit of a high after releasing the highly anticipated sequel to 2009’s Avatar, with it crushing it at the box office. Avatar: The Way of Water has been putting numbers on the board just like its predecessor, and it shows that the director knows how to make a hit. The film has been received fairly well with critics and fans alike, with the film being Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and getting an A CinemaScore. Cameron will release the third film in the franchise next year and it’s set to reveal a bunch of new characters like the Na’vi Fire Nation. Game of Thrones star Oona Chaplin previously joined the sequel in an undisclosed role and had yet to be confirmed. But now producer Jon Landau has confirmed that the actress has been cast in Avatar 3 and will play Varang, who will be the leader of the Na’vi fire nation tribe. In a new interview with Empire Magazine (via Screen Rant), Landau also revealed that the fire / Ash tribe would also be more antagonistic than the tribes we’ve met in previous films.

“There are good humans, and there are bad humans – the same thing on the Navi side – but oftentimes, people don’t see themselves as bad,” Landau too the magazine. “What is the root cause of how they evolve into what we perceive as bad? Maybe there are other factors there that we’re not aware of.”

James Cameron Shot Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3 Back to Back

Cameron has been developing sequels to his record-breaking film for over a decade. The studio has announced four sequels to Avatar, with two already filmed, and the other two are waiting to see how the first does at the box office. The director shot both sequels back to back due to how the scenes they needed to film for both. About a year ago, Cameron confirmed to Variety why he shot the films this way.

“We mixed the schedules for 2 and 3 together, based on the types of scenes and the environments,” Cameron revealed to the trade. “I said, let’s just treat it like it’s a six-hour miniseries and we’re only going to go to Frankfurt once. We’re going to shoot all the scenes from 2 and 3 at the same time. That was more or less the motif. Actor availability was an issue as well. Anything that had to be done with a specific actor, we did all the scenes for 2 and 3 together — and a little bit of 4. Because once again, I had to shoot the kids out. They’re allowed to age six years in the middle of the story on page 25 of movie 4. So I needed everything before then, and then everything after, we’ll do later.”

The sequel is confirmed to feature several returning stars that include Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stepehn Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, Matt Gerald, and Sigourney Weaver. The cast for the sequels will include several more newcomers than returning members, though, with the likes of Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis and CJ Jones all set to appear as well. Plot details for the sequels are currently unknown.

Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now and Avatar 3 is set to debut two years later on December 20, 2024.

What do you think about the latest addition to the cast? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!

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As Avatar: The Way of Water continues doing victory laps around the pool talk and attention is already turning toward Avatar 3. In a new interview, Avatar series producer Jon Landau confirmed that Avatar 2‘s breakout character – the whale-like “Tulkun” sea creature named Payakan – will definitely be returning for Avatar 3. However, as a downside to that happy news, Avatar 3 will also see Payakan having to deal with his human nemesis, the vile whaler known as Mick Scoresby (Brendan Cowell)! 

“We view Payakan as a character, not just as a creature,” Landau told Empire Magazine. “We will continue to explore his relationship with Lo’ak.”

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER SPOILERS! 

In Avatar 2, the Tulkun were introduced as a pivotal part of the Na’vi’s ongoing war with the human organization the RDA, which is invading the planet of Pandora. The Tulkun were both highly-intelligent lifeforms deeply bonded to the Na’vi’s Metkayina Tribe, as well as prized targets of the RDA, who harvest the sea creatures’ brain enzymes as a magic potion able to stop the human aging process. Jake Sully’s (Sam Worthington) youngest son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) bonded with one Tulkun named Payakan, as they were both viewed as outcasts amongst their respective peoples. 

During the climatic final act of Avatar: The Way of Water, Payakan broke the Tulkun code of non-violence and threw down against the RDA for slaughtering his people. Payakan’s skills on the battlefield and general backstory definitely made him a “character” in the fullest sense, rather than just another fantastical beast of Pandora, meant to wow us and be forgotten about later (see: Toruk from Avatar 1). 

In fact, James Cameron and co. did such a good job building up Payakan as a character that Avatar fans will now be worrying for him all the way up until Avatar 3 – and not without good reason… 

Avatar 3: A Moby Dick Tale?

With Mick Scoresby also returning, and everything we know about James Cameron’s “storytelling” preferences, it’s not hard to imagine Avatar 3 having some element of a Moby Dick storyline at work. Cameron loves to… “echo” the beats of archetypal or definitive stories, and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick still stands tall as one of the best tales about man’s obsessions with trying to tame nature – and paying the price. 

Avatar 2 left Mick Scoresby maimed, with one of his arms being torn off in the high-seas fight with Payakan. That sounds like a pretty on-the-nose way to make Scoresby a Captain Ahab character (missing arm instead of the missing leg) who hunts endlessly for revenge against Payakan. With the Tulkun enzyme in his possession, Socresby could not only survive his injuries but conceivably live without an age limit to keep hunting and killing the Tulkun. 

Scary stuff! 

NEXT: Avatar 3 Will Introduce Na’vi Fire Tribe

Avatar 3 has a release date of December 20, 2024. 

The post Avatar 3 Will Be Bringing Back These Fan-Favorite Newcomers appeared first on ComicBook.com.

It has been nearly a month since Avatar: The Way of Water arrived in theaters, taking the saga of James Cameron’s billion-dollar film franchise to new heights. As a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, reveals, that ethos was almost taken pretty literally, with plans to originally include a major space battle. According to co-writer Rick Jaffa, one of the original plans for The Way of Water was for the Na’vi people to fight their foes in space, but it ultimately was scrapped entirely.

“There was one idea of a space battle with Na’vi,” Jaffa explained. “That idea got a lot of traction, and we talked a lot about it. We were struggling, though. How would that work with the story that we’re telling? Jim said, ‘Well, give me a few weeks.’ He went off and he wrote an entire script. And, by the way, a brilliant script. … At the end of the day, the whole script got thrown out because it just didn’t really work with the story we were telling.”

What is Avatar 2 about?

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family, the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. The film will see the return of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, and CJ Jones.

“The goal is to tell an extremely compelling story on an emotional basis,” Cameron previously shared with Total Film about The Way of Water. “I would say the emphasis in the new film is more on character, more on story, more on relationships, more on emotion. We didn’t spend as much time on relationship and emotion in the first film as we do in the second film, and it’s a longer film, because there’s more characters to service. There’s more story to service.”

What did you think of Avatar: The Way of Water? Would you have wanted to see this space battle? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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The original Avatar used the human character of Jake Sully to introduce audiences to the world of the Na’vi, with his human roots meaning that he served as a narrator for the first two films, but director James Cameron recently revealed that the upcoming third film will instead see his son Lo’ak serving as the narrator. The filmmaker brought up the notion when discussing how, while he might have plans in place for how the next three films will unfold, he is still open to making some changes based on how audiences connect with aspects of the series, including putting more prominence on new characters. Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now and Avatar 3 is set to hit theaters on December 20, 2024.

“I’m going to take a moment when the dust clears to assess what people loved and what they responded to the most in this current release, and I may go back and tinker a little bit, and we may go back and do a couple of moments here and there,” Cameron shared with the Soundtracking with Edith Bowman podcast about the status of the third film. “It won’t be radical, but maybe fine-tune it a bit to emphasize that which people are responding to. For example, Lo’ak really emerged as a character that people went with, so I might find ways to … now, he’s already the narrator — oh, I’m giving away something here … But this is okay, I think it could be intriguing for people to think about what’s coming.”

With only two entries into the series being released, it would be easy to assume that Jake would be a constant as the narrator, yet Cameron confirmed how the structure of each sequel might not be as rigid as audiences were expecting.

“Jake was our voiceover narrator for movie one and for movie two, and we have a different narrator for each of the subsequent films. We see it through the eyes of a different character,” the filmmaker admitted.

Given that only a month has passed since Avatar: The Way of Water landed in theaters, there will likely be more exciting updates about how its reception will impact the future of the franchise. The new film is expected to cross the $2-billion mark worldwide in the coming days.

Avatar 3 is set to hit theaters on December 20, 2024.

Are you looking forward to these changes? Let us know in the comments!  

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They say everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked, and that may be true for more than just one franchise. By now, most everyone knows Avatar: The Last Airbender and its elemental pull. From earth to water and beyond, the series is all about balance, and that is true for another popular franchise. James Cameron’s Avatar is much the same, and a recent report has fans convinced Avatar 3 will take a page from Zuko’s book.

Why is that? Well, it seems the Fire Nation is coming to Avatar. In a recent interview, the director behind Avatar opened up about the IP’s future, and it was there Cameron said Avatar 3 will include a nation of Fire Na’vi.

READ MORE: Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Director Teases Its Opening Scene | Avatar: The Last Airbender: Fire Nation Rising Review – An Elaborate Yet Uneven Take On Aang’s Adventure

“The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People.’ I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides,” Cameron revealed “In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite. We will also explore new worlds while continuing the story of the main characters.”

Of course, this new kind of Na’vi will enrich the franchise, and there is still plenty for Avatar to explore. The series’ latest entry has broken box office records thanks to expansive world, and with more than a billion dollars under thumb, Cameron will have free reign to do what he must with his Fire Na’vi. But for now, well – the Internet is too busy cracking jokes about Zuko to think about the sequel.

After all, Avatar: The Last Airbender has its own Fire Nation, and its people play a massive role in the series as a whole. Cameron’s pitch acts as another bridge between the two IPs whether you like it or not. From their titles to their fantastical worlds, both Avatar franchises have circled each other since their existence. And now, the promise of Fire Na’vi has stoked the war between these top-tier IPs.

What do you think about this Avatar x Avatar comparison? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

HT – 20 Minutes

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Avatar: The Way of Water. Given that, it might surprise some fans to hear director James Cameron compare the Avatar sequels to television. Cameron is overseeing the production of four , directing the first two himself, sometimes simultaneously. That may seem like a daunting task but speaking to The Wrap, Cameron explains that it makes sense because the Avatar series is one big story progressing through each new film, though each film also tells a complete story. “It’s one big story,” Cameron added. “It’s really one big story, but it’s like episodic television. Each one has its own proximal resolution. The character problems continue across the cut.”

Cameron also tells The Wrap that Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 are already written and designed. They should be ready to go once work finishes on Avatar 3.

“I think the thing people should remember here is we were gone for a long time from the marketplace,” Cameron says. “But part of that was that we were putting into a pipeline five movies. I mean one that we’ve already done, four new films and shooting two movies back-to-back – Movie 2, Movie 3, part of Movie 4, and that has to do with sort of a story point and a big time jump that takes place. Because we wanna shoot out the kids cause they were aging so quickly. [Avatar 4] is fully written and fully designed, [Avatar 5] is fully written and fully designed. These movies exist in our minds. These stories exist.”

He continues, “We know exactly what we’re doing. We know what these movies are gonna be. We just have to go through the process of getting them done. So ideally two years from now, [Avatar 3] comes out, ideally maybe three years after that [Avatar 4] comes out, and then ideally maybe a couple years after that [Avatar 5] comes out. So we won’t be away from the marketplace, so we’ll have that sense of a persistent world, an ongoing story that I think people want. If they’re gonna invest in these characters, if they’re gonna invest in this world, we want to give it to them at a regular cadence. That was the game plan. And that’s why one of the reasons we were gone so long.”

Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing in theaters. It’s headed towards an impressive New Year’s weekend at the box office.

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While Avatar introduced audiences to a group of Na’vi that were specifically adapted to life in the forest, Avatar: The Way of Water showcased Na’vi who had adapted to an aquatic livelihood, hinting at how many Na’vi cultures exist on Pandora. For the upcoming Avatar 3, James Cameron recently recalled that the upcoming film will focus on cultures that embrace the element of fire, not only in regards to its more practical elements, but also teases that they might not be as benevolent of societies as the Na’vi we’ve seen up to this point. Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now.

Speaking with 20 Minutes, translated from French, Cameron explained that the upcoming film will explore “cultures different from those I have already shown.” He continued, “The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People.’ I want to reveal the Na’vi from another angle because, for the moment, I have only shown their good sides. In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3, we’ll do the reverse. We will also explore new universes while continuing the story of the main characters. I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal. But, obviously, everything will depend on how Avatar 2 will be received, if it will find its audience.”

With the first two films largely seeing human characters, or human-based avatars, serving as the antagonists against the indigenous Na’vi, Cameron’s comments hint that the third film could explore new storytelling avenues.

Writers on The Way of Water Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver similarly hinted that the next chapter in the saga will lean into conflicts between communities than those between species.

“There’s a lot going on between husbands and wives and between the two husbands and the two wives,” Jaffa explained to Variety earlier this month. “There are a lot of dynamics set up that continue to play out.”

“You have this kind of deeply relatable series of dynamics, inter-family, interpersonal, inter-clan, played out on these incredibly inflated scales of different worlds,” Silver added. “The clans that you’re going to meet and the worlds that you’re going to find on Pandora — you can’t even imagine what they are. Just like the tulkun were a revelation for this movie, there’s lots more of that stuff to come. It’s incredibly exciting, the story that happens to the Sullys. You couldn’t predict it.”

Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now. Avatar 3 is currently slated to hit theaters on December 20, 2024.

What do you think about the filmmaker’s remarks? Let us know in the comments!

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Filmmaker James Cameron has confirmed that there will be three more Avatar sequels following Avatar: The Way of Water, and even hinted that a sixth and seventh film are both possible, leading audiences to wonder if he’ll ever invest his time into making a film that doesn’t include Na’vi. During a conversation with other top directors, Cameron expressed that, while he might be committed to the Avatar franchise for the rest of his life, the sprawling nature of that universe means that he’ll still likely be able to tell just about any type of adventure he’d like, just within the setting of this otherworldly series. Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now.

During a conversation for Empire magazine, RRR director S. S. Rajamouli asked Cameron whether he feels bad that his commitments to Avatar prevent him from exploring other stories, with Cameron replying, “Two thoughts in answer to your question: the first is that the world of Avatar is so sprawling that I can tell most of the stories I want to tell within it and try many of the stylistic techniques that I hope to explore.” He added, “And secondly, yes… our time as artists is finite. I will always mourn some of the stories that I don’t get to make.”

The filmmaker did point out, though, the various other times he’s collaborated with other filmmakers to help bring a story to life, even if he wasn’t specifically directing them.

“I feel a great satisfaction when other directors want to explore some of my ideas, like Kathryn Bigelow did with Strange Days, and Robert Rodriguez did when I passed him the baton on Alita: Battle Angel,” Cameron added. “I look forward to more collaborations in the future with directors I admire.”

The next three films in the Avatar franchise all have release dates, which will take us through 2028. While principal photography on Avatar 3 has completed and some scenes have been filmed for Avatar 4, the fifth installment is the only entry that hasn’t filmed anything. While Cameron is clearly committed to bringing all of these films to life, it’s worth noting that, while The Way of Water has only been out for two weeks, it’s possible that the future of the series will be modified based on the financial returns of each installment.

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Avatar franchise.

What do you think of the filmmaker’s remarks? Let us know in the comments!

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Avatar: The Way of Water has been in theaters for a week now, providing a blockbuster return to the fictional world of Pandora. Despite the sequel being released over a decade after the first Avatar, there are some ambitious plans for the franchise’s future, with multiple sequels in various stages of development. In a recent interview with Variety, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver teased what the plot of Avatar 3 could have in store — particularly, the dynamic between Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) Tonowari (Cliff Curtis), and Ronal (Kate Winslet).

“There’s a lot going on between husbands and wives and between the two husbands and the two wives,” Jaffa explained. “There are a lot of dynamics set up that continue to play out.”

“You have this kind of deeply relatable series of dynamics, inter-family, interpersonal, inter-clan, played out on these incredibly inflated scales of different worlds,” Silver echoed. “The clans that you’re going to meet and the worlds that you’re going to find on Pandora — you can’t even imagine what they are. Just like the tulkun were a revelation for this movie, there’s lots more of that stuff to come. It’s incredibly exciting, the story that happens to the Sullys. You couldn’t predict it.”

What is Avatar 2 about?

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family, the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. The film will see the return of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, and CJ Jones.

“The goal is to tell an extremely compelling story on an emotional basis,” Cameron previously shared with Total Film about The Way of Water. “I would say the emphasis in the new film is more on character, more on story, more on relationships, more on emotion. We didn’t spend as much time on relationship and emotion in the first film as we do in the second film, and it’s a longer film, because there’s more characters to service. There’s more story to service.”

Are you excited for Avatar 3? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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Avatar: The Way of Water is now out in theaters, and reactions to James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel are all over social media. One of the clear breakouts of Avatar 2 is Sigourney Weaver’s Kiri – a character no one but Jim Cameron could’ve dreamed up – and one only he seemed to know would become a massive hit.

While there are still many lingering mysteries about Kiri’s origin and parentage, one thing is sure: fans love her teen angst story, as well as the larger spiritual/mystical implications about her role in the upcoming Avatar sequels. 

Check out a small sampling of all the love Avatar fans are showing Kiri, after seeing The Way of Water: 

What’s Her Motivation?

We here at ComicBook had to ask the REAL Question… 

Creating Kiri

To say Sigourney had to jump in with two feet to create this character would be an understatement. 

Avatar 2 MVP

What’s the Na’vi word for “Most Valuable Player?” 

Best Lines

Kiri definitely had some of the best dialogue in Avatar: The Way of Water, and Sigourney Weaver definitely nailed the delivery. 

Crazy Character, Brilliant Performance

Kiri arguably sounds like a total cringe character/casting idea on paper – but it’s hard to argue that Sigourney Weaver more than makes it work. 

Mind. Blown.

People who didn’t follow Avatar 2‘s production had no idea that Weaver was Kiri – until the end credits rolled. Their minds were pretty blown. 

The New Nostalgia

Bringing back old Star Wars characters is child’s play; changing older actors into kid characters? That’s the new challenge. 

The Weaver Supremacy

Established 1979 and firmly enduring. 

TREND QUEEN

Sigourney Weaver getting her Twitter crown, as she should. 

One of Her Best

Kiri’s role in Avatar 2 seems to be seen as a personal best performance for Weaver, as well. With a career that includes the Alien franchise, Ghostbusters, The Village, and so much more, that’s really saying something. 

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Avatar: The Way of Water finally arrives in theaters this weekend, continuing one of the most unique cinematic franchises of all time. The film’s financial performance has already been speculated about at length, with some projections forecasting an epic opening weekend at the box office. While we’ll ultimately have to wait and see how that shakes out, it is provoking one big question about The Way of Water — what exactly was its budget?

According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter last month, production on Avatar: The Way of Water cost within the range of $350-400 million. Reports from 2020 had indicated that the sequel, as well as the franchise’s third, cost a combined amount of $1 billion. Director James Cameron seems to corroborate that ballpark, telling GQ earlier this year that The Way of Water is “very f-cking expensive”, and that he told executives at Disney and 20th Century Studios that the financial gamble on it represented “the worst business case in movie history.” As Cameron put it, “You have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. That’s your threshold. That’s your break even.”

What is Avatar 2 about?

Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family, the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. The film will see the return of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, and CJ Jones.

“The goal is to tell an extremely compelling story on an emotional basis,” Cameron previously shared with Total Film about The Way of Water. “I would say the emphasis in the new film is more on character, more on story, more on relationships, more on emotion. We didn’t spend as much time on relationship and emotion in the first film as we do in the second film, and it’s a longer film, because there’s more characters to service. There’s more story to service.”

Are you excited for Avatar: The Way of Water? What do you think of these new box office projections? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing exclusively in theaters.

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Just earlier this month, Avatar: The Way of Water producer Jon Landau teased that, by the time we get to Avatar 5, the Na’vi were set to visit Earth, though in a separate interview, he now says the entire franchise will take place on Pandora. The topic came up when Landau expressed that James Cameron had written 1,500 pages of story for the rest of the narrative and upcoming sequels, which were then broken down into live-action installments. This makes it unclear if Landau’s original comments were theoretical ideas for the series or if those ideas became more concrete further into the development of those sequels.

“Jim went off and he wrote 1,500 pages of story notes, having tossed around ideas like, ‘Do we stay on Pandora? Do we go somewhere else?'” Landau shared with Entertainment Weekly. “And [he] made the decision to keep all the stories on Pandora, because we realized that we could spend our whole lives traveling Earth, and not see all the wonders it holds or not meet all the diverse cultures that exist here. We want to do that same thing with the sequels, so set all the movies on Pandora.”

Landau’s previous comments specified that, by the time Avatar 5 rolled around, an integral component of Neytiri’s journey would be learning more about humans and the culture of Earth, given that she was mostly familiar with the sinister tactics of the RDA corporation. How drastically those plans may have since changed is yet to be seen.

“Well, it’s funny,” Landau revealed to io9. “I wasn’t going to talk about it, but I’ve now subsequently heard that [director] Jim [Cameron] has talked about it a little bit. In movie five there is a section of the story where we go to Earth. And we go to it to open people’s eyes, open Neytiri’s eyes, to what exists on Earth.”  

He added, “Earth is not just represented by the RDA. Just like you’re defined by the choices you make in life, not all humans are bad. Not all Na’vi are good. And that’s the case here on Earth. And we want to expose Neytiri to that.”

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Avatar franchise. Avatar: The Way of Water is out now in theaters.

Would you like to see the Na’vi go to Earth? Let us know in the comments!

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