The third installment of James Cameron’s popular science fiction series, Avatar, is now under production. From the movie’s premiere date to its cast and story, this is all we know.
The first sequel to James Cameron’s highest-grossing film ever, Avatar: The Way of Water, debuted in theaters last year and swiftly rose to the top of the box office rankings. “An awe-inspiring, cinematic hallelujah; James Cameron is back, and maybe he is the king of the world after all,” is how we described it in our review.
Even if the sequel is receiving a ton of attention, this is not the end: Cameron has long had ambitions for not just Avatar 2, but also a number of its follow-ups, maybe as many as six and seven. These include Avatar 3, 4, and 5.
Avatar 3 is not only a planned future project but already has completed filming, and its cast and release date have already been confirmed – so, here’s what we know about the sequel so far, and what its name may be.
Avatar 3 release date: When is it coming out?
Avatar 3 will be released on December 19, 2025.
This will be followed by the fourth on December 21, 2029, and Avatar 5 on December 19, 2031.
These announced changes are substantial: Avatar 3 was originally set for release on December 20, 2024, followed by the fourth on December 18, 2026, and Avatar 5 on December 22, 2028.
Considering The Way of Water endured years of delays, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see it pushed back along the 2020s – however, James Cameron has apparently already turned in a cut… that’s nine hours long.
He has expressed concern about the likelihood of Avatar 4 and 5, pointing out that Disney needs a certain amount of box office success for them to be viable. However, he appears “pretty sure” that viewers will be returning to Pandora soon.
The majority of the job has already been completed. On Avatar 3, we still need to go through the entire completion process with Wđtā FX. However, I’m rather certain that we’ll return here in a few years,” he said to Digital Spy.
Production designer Ben Procter stated, “We’re working on [Avatar] 3 right now, trying to get it out the door with the visual effects [and] handoff process,” in an interview with the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Gazette. Jim had these cameras before anything could be produced, right? That is the source of the gunfire and a step you are aware of before passing it along. We’re hard at work refining and getting the sets ready for that procedure.
Regarding further taunting, it is not part of my job description. If you try, that could be in John Jon Landau’s, but it’s not mine. All I can tell is that we began working on this project in 2013 with a team that expanded and now consists of so many amazing individuals. From the outset, we have been developing it as a whole universe with a variety of fascinating locations to visit and sights to take in. I’ll simply say that while I can’t reveal everything ahead of time, a lot of exciting things are on the horizon.
There had been concerns the movie could be delayed due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, but with new deals struck with both unions, it appears Avatar 3’s release date is safe.
As of February 2024, Avatar 3 is currently in production, according to Sam Worthington.
Avatar 3 name: What’s it called?
Avatar 3 doesn’t have a confirmed name. While previous rumors suggested it’d be called The Seed Bearer, that has since been debunked by the movie’s producer.
During a recent event for new video game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, franchise producer Jon Landeau set rumors about the supposed Avatar 3 title straight to ComicBook.com.
“I’m qualified to tell you that that is not the title for Avatar 3,” Landau stated. “That’s what my Wikipedia page says? That is getting changed tonight!”
The rumors came from an earlier BBC News report, which cited official documentation revealing the titles of the next movies: Avatar: The Seed Bearer, Avatar: The Tulkun Rider, and Avatar: The Quest for Eywa.
Avatar 3 cast: Who’s in it?
Avatar 3 is set to have a star-studded cast list full of veteran actors, many of who are reprising their roles from the first two Avatar films.
Here are all of the human characters in the cast of the movie:
- Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge
- Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel
- Joel David Moore as Dr. Norm Spellman
- Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore
- Michelle Yeoh as Dr. Karina Mogue
- Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin
Here are all of the Na’vi characters that will appear in Avatar 3:
- Sam Worthington as Jake Sully
- Sigourney Weaver as Kiri
- Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri
- Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch
- CCH Pounder as Mo’at
- Cliff Curtis as Tonowari
- Matt Gerald as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
- Oona Chaplin as Varang
- David Thewlis
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Yeoh said: “Yes, I am in the Avatar sequels and as you know we can’t really talk very much about it.
It’s James Cameron, though! Hurry up! James Cameron’s tea woman, that’s me! We spent a few weeks filming, and throughout that time, I was really pleased with the labor and energy that he put out. He is a walking genius; he is a genius. Additionally, I had a great time and am forward to return, maybe soon.
Given his death in the previous film, some people might be shocked to see Lang reprise his role as Quaritch, but there are obviously major things in store for him.
Lang stated in an interview with The Indian Express, “I hope the character challenges everything you may imagine. Even though I will be in a different framework, I think you will know him. I hope people are amazed by what he goes through and what he becomes. However, I believe you will notice his attitude, swagger, and leadership traits.
“I think if you have expectations of that, those will be fulfilled. Also, he is always looking for a fight. That is what he is there for, that is his mission. But I do believe there will be some surprises as we continue to mine this character for everything that he is worth. Because there really would be no point in bringing the role back just to repeat itself, that would be pointless, it would be uninteresting. So expect the unexpected, that is what I would say.”
