A comprehensive guide to James Cameron's upcoming Avatar sequels

Following the immense success of Avatar: The Way of Water, which raked in an impressive 2.3 billion dollars at the box office, director James Cameron is actively engaged in expanding the Avatar franchise. The initial two films, released in 2009 and 2022, respectively, have secured the positions of the No. 1 and No. 3 highest-grossing movies of all time. Audiences are eagerly anticipating the continuation of the franchise to discover what unfolds next.

Unveiling the Enigma

Similar to his approach with previous Avatar projects, Cameron has maintained a veil of secrecy around the plot of Avatar 3. However, in early 2023, during an interview with France's 20 Minutes, Cameron did disclose a crucial detail about the film. He mentioned that the upcoming sequel will revolve around a new race of people embodying another elemental aspect.

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Cameron shared with the program, "The Ash People will embody the element of Fire. I aim to depict the Na'vi from a different perspective because, up to this point, I've only portrayed their positive aspects. The early films showcased negative human examples alongside positive Na'vi examples. In Avatar 3, we'll flip that narrative."

Shift in Release Dates

Initially slated for a December 2024 release, Disney made adjustments to its premiere schedule for various film franchises, such as Star Wars, Avengers, and the Avatar sequels. Avatar 3 is now set for a December 2025 release, followed by subsequent films arriving in 2029 and 2031.

Avatar 3 has completed filming and is currently in post-production. Cameron adopted an unconventional strategy by shooting Avatar 2 and 3 simultaneously. The third film will feature several familiar faces, with returning cast members including Sam 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).

Into the Unknown

Considerably less information is available regarding the plot of Avatar 4, slated for release in December 2029. However, in a 2022 Entertainment Weekly interview, Cameron disclosed that on page 35 of the fourth film's script, a significant leap forward in time occurs, enabling the young actors to naturally age within the film's storyline.

Portions of Avatar 4 were filmed concurrently with Avatar 2 and 3 and are already finished. Cameron shared, "Avatar 4 and 5 are both written. We even have some of 4 in the can. We've initiated a franchise at this point. We've commenced a saga that can unfold across multiple films."

In a 2022 interview with Gizmodo, Landau disclosed a significant plot point from Avatar 5, scheduled for release in December 2031. The producer revealed that the fifth film will depict the Na'vi on Earth.

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