James Cameron Reveals “Avatar 3” Update
James Cameron and his team are busily working on the Avatar sequels, a statement that has been true for a long time now. Cameron revealed during a recent press conference in New Zealand moderated by 1News chief correspondent John Campbell that Avatar 3 is in a very crucial, very busy post-production phase at the moment.
“We’re into a very hectic two years of post-production right now,” Cameron told Campbell about the third film in his decades-spanning franchise. “So it will be Christmas of 2025.”
The updated timeline for the release of the final three films in Cameron’s sci-fi saga is this: Avatar 3 is now slated to open on December 19, 2025; Avatar 4 is set for December 21, 2029; and Avatar 5 is scheduled to conclude the franchise on December 19, 2031—that’s 22 years after the original 2009 film premiered.
Cameron is one of Hollywood’s most patient directors, and time and again, his patience has been proven an asset rather than a liability. There were many doubts about whether the second film in the franchise, 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, would bring people into the theater 13 years after the original. The Way of Water went on to become a massive hit and is now the third-highest-grossing film in history.
There are far fewer people questioning whether there’s still an interest in the alien world that Cameron and his team have conjured for Avatar 3, but the time these films take to produce didn’t stop star Zoe Saldaña from having some fun with it.
“Great! I’m gonna be 53 when the last Avatar comes out,” Saldaña joked on Instagram after the new release plan was announced. “I was 27 when I shot the very first Avatar.”
Cameron also revealed that he will officially become a New Zealand citizen in 2024 (he’s been working in the country since 2005 when the original Avatar started development) and that all the remaining films will be made in the country.
Longtime Avatar producer Jon Landau teased that Avatar 3 will introduce a more militaristic race of Na’vi known as the Ash People, whose leader will be played by Game of Thrones star and Charlie Chaplin’s granddaughter Oona Chaplin.
Speaking to Empire Magazine, Landau explained the Ash People this way: “There are good humans and there are bad humans. It’s the same thing on the Na’vi side. Oftentimes, people don’t see themselves as bad. What is the root cause of how they evolve into what we perceive as bad? Maybe there are other factors there that we aren’t aware of.”
You can watch Cameron’s full press conference here.
For more on all things Avatar, check out these stories:
“Avatar 3” Will Star “Game of Thrones” Actress Oon Chaplin as Fire Na’vi Leader
“Avatar: The Way of Water” Rises to 4th Highest-Grossing Film Ever
James Cameron is Feeling Very Good About his “Avatar” Sequels
Why Every Digital Costume in “Avatar: The Way of Water” Really Exists
How “Avatar: The Way of Water” Visual Effects Wizards Conjured Underwater Magic
Featured image: (L-R): Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2022 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.
