Filmmaker James Cameron said that he wouldn't have to worry about developing Avatar 4 and 5 if no one saw Avatar: The Way of Water. It's safe to say that Cameron definitely has a fourth and fifth film on his to-do list after The Way of Water made over $2 billion at the box office.
However, he still needs to finish Avatar 3 first. Franchise star Sam Worthington has revealed that filming on Avatar 3 is slated to start up next month. "We go back to work on it in a month and it’s big. It’s bigger than you can imagine," said Worthington.
Cameron recently discussed the challenging filming process for The Way of Water, which was halted mid-shoot because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Two, 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," said Cameron.
He also went on to touch on the fourth Avatar film, which is currently set to hit theaters in 2029. "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 three is released."
The first Avatar movie was released in 2009 and has grossed $2.923 billion worldwide to date.
Thirteen years later, in 2022, a follow-up titled Avatar: The Way of Water was launched, and it has now brought in $2.32 billion globally.
Thankfully, the water scenes in Avatar 3 were shot concurrently while the aquatic scenes in The Way of Water were filmed, meaning that the third movie should, theoretically, be much further along than when Cameron began working on the second Avatar film.
The Avatar franchise stars Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Kiri/Dr. Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Kate Winslet as Ronal, Cliff Curtis as Tonowari, CCH Pounder as Mo'at, Britain Dalton as Lo'ak te, Jamie Flatters as Neteyam, Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore.
Oona Chaplin, Michelle Yeoh, and David Thewlis are confirmed to portray new characters in Avatar 3.
Barring any delays, Avatar 3 will arrive in theaters on December 19, 2025 while Avatar 4 currently has a December 21, 2029 release date.
Avatar: The Way of Water Synopsis:
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 (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), 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.