Everything to Know About the UpcomingAvatarSequels
Mar. 15, 2025After the massive success ofAvatar: The Way of Water, which grossed a whopping $2.3 billion at the box office, directorJames Cameronis continuing to work on theAvatarfranchise.
The first two films, released in 2009 and 2022, respectively, have become the No. 1 and No. 3 highest-grossing movies of all time — and audiences are eager to see what happens next in the franchise.
While the production ofAvatar 3,4and5is relatively secretive, Cameron and producer Jon Landau have shared a bit about the films, giving fans hints at what to expect from the franchise moving forward.
Whenspeaking toThe Hollywood Reporterin January 2023, Cameron revealed, “We decided we needed to leap way ahead to places that people couldn’t have predicted [forThe Way of Water] and we’re gonna do that again with movie3as well."
The official title of the third movie was announced at Disney’s D23 fan event in August 2024, where they revealed the movie would be calledAvatar: Fire and Ash.
The franchise’s third installment is expected to hit theaters in 2025, withAvatar 4following in 2029 andAvatar 5in 2031, and that may not be the end of the story. While talking to PEOPLE in February 2024, Cameron said that he already has ideas for even more films in the franchise.
“We’re fully written through movie five, andI’ve got ideas for six and seven, although I’ll probably be handing the baton on at that point,” he said. “I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we’re enjoying what we’re doing. We’re loving it. We get to work with great people.”
From the growing cast to the plot, here’s everything to know about the upcomingAvatarsequels.
What isAvatar: Fire and Ashabout?
A scene from ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’.Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
As with the previousAvatarprojects, Cameron has remained incredibly quiet about the plot ofAvatar: Fire and Ash.However, he did reveal one key aspect of the movie — when speaking to France’s20 Minutesin early 2023, Cameron said the next sequel will center arounda new race of peoplewho personify another element.
Cameron also said that theAvatarstoryline is just getting started. “We will also explore new worlds while continuing the story of the main characters,” Cameron revealed. “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.”
When willAvatar: Fire and Ashbe released?
Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’.20th Century Studios
Originally,Avatar: Fire and Ashwas scheduled to release in December 2024, but Disney later altered its premiere lineup for a whole slew of film franchises, includingStar Wars,Avengersand theAvatarsequels.Avatar: Fire and Ashis now scheduled for a December 2025 release, with the later films arriving in 2029 and 2031.
Zoe Saldaña posted the news on Instagramin June 2023 and joked about the delays. “Great! I’m gonna be 53 when the last avatar comes out,” the actress wrote. “I was 27 when I shot the very first Avatar movie.”
Despite the delays, Cameron told PEOPLE in December 2023 that “three is actually much more straightforward than two” regarding production.
HasAvatar: Fire and Ashalready been filmed?
Director James Cameron behind the scenes of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’.Mark Fellman/20th Century Studios
Avatar: Fire and Ashhas already been filmed and is currently in post-production. Cameron took an atypical approach to the sequels and filmedAvatar 2and3at the same time. He toldEntertainment Weeklyin December 2022 that he did this to avoid his teenage actors appearing too old in the later films, comparing his dilemma to a popular Netflix series.
“I loveStranger Things, but you get theStranger Thingseffect where they’re supposed to still be in high school, and they look like they’re 27," the director said.
Cameron specifically mentioned his concerns over star Jack Champion, who Cameron said was “growing like a weed.” The production team was also worried that COVID-19-related delays would force them to recast the final sequels.
“I was imagining scenarios where we don’t go back to work for a year and a half and we’re completely screwed because he’s [Champion] aged out, and then we have to go back and reshoot with another guy," Cameron said. The director’s worries did not come to fruition, though — the production team worked out a deal with the New Zealand government to let a small team continue filming in order to get the shots they needed.
Who is in the cast ofAvatar: Fire and Ash?
Left: Sam Worthington attends the Hermes' SS24 Men’s Show at Palais D’iena on June 24, 2023 in Paris, France. Center: Zoe Saldana attends the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. Right: Sigourney Weaver arrives at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.Dave Benett/Getty ; Arturo Holmes/Getty ; Alberto Rodriguez/Variety/Getty
Dave Benett/Getty ; Arturo Holmes/Getty ; Alberto Rodriguez/Variety/Getty
Fans will see many familiar faces returning for the third film, includingSam Worthington(Jake Sully),Saldaña(Neytiri),Sigourney Weaver(Dr. Grace Augustine and Kiri),Joel David Moore(Norm Spellman), Champion (Javier ‘Spider’ Socorro), Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch) and Britain Dalton (Lo’ak).
Cameron also confirmed to PEOPLE in December 2023 thatKate Winsletwill reprise herWay of Waterrole in the third installment with training from “a husband and wife shaman practice.”
“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,” Cameron said of Winslet’s work inAvatar 2and3.
There will also be a bunch of new actors joining the cast, includingOscar-winner Michelle Yeoh,Game of Thronesstar Oona Chaplin andHarry PotteralumDavid Thewlis.
What isAvatar 4about?
‘Avatar 2 Concept Art’.20th Century Fox
Much less is known about the plot ofAvatar 4,which will be released in December 2029. However, in anEntertainment Weeklyinterview in 2022, Cameron said that on page 35 of the fourth film’s script, there’s a big move forward in time, allowing the young actors to age up naturally within the film’s storyline.
“They’re young men, young women at that point, when we get to the B side of that time jump,” he told the publication.
Cameron told PEOPLE more specifics on the plot’s progression in December 2023. “We see them and then we go away for six years and we come back,” the director said. “And so the part where we come back is the part we haven’t shot yet. So we’ll start on that after three is released.”
He alsotoldColliderin 2022 that the studio loved theAvatar 4script. “I can’t tell you the details,” Cameron said, “but all I can say is that when I turned in the script for2, the studio gave me three pages of notes. And when I turned in the script for3, they gave me a page of notes, so I was getting better.”
He continued, “When I turned in the script for4, the creative executive over the films wrote me an email that said, ‘Holy f—.’ 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?”
HasAvatar 4started filming?
A still from ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ including Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neteyam (Jamie Flatters).Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett
Some ofAvatar 4was filmed in tandem with2and3and is already completed.
When appearing onWho’s Talking to Chris Wallacein early 2023, perThe Hollywood Reporter, Cameron talked about his timeline for the upcoming sequels.
“Avatar 4and5are both written. We even have some of4in the can. We’ve begun a franchise at this point. We’ve begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films.”
Landau previously confirmed this schedule in a 2022 interview withVariety. “We’ve completed most of the first act ofAvatar 4and there were logistical reasons why we needed to do that," the producer said. “We’ve designed most of the whole movie forAvatar 4but we haven’t actually filmed all of it — just the first act.”
What isAvatar 5about?
‘Avatar 2’ Concept Art.20th Century Fox
Speaking toGizmodoin 2022, Landau revealed a major plot point fromAvatar 5, which will be released in December 2031 — the producer said that the fifth film will bring the Na’vi to Earth.
“I wasn’t going to talk about it, but I’ve now subsequently heard that Jim [Cameron] has talked about it a little bit,” the producer said. “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.”
Landau’s statement also revealed that Neytiri (Saldaña’s character) will survive the next two sequels and be an integral character in the final film.
source: people.com
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