''Avatar 3'' is an upcoming American
epic science fiction film
Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...
directed, written, со-produced, and co-edited by
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
.
It is the third film in Cameron's
''Avatar'' franchise, and a sequel to ''
Avatar: The Way of Water'' (2022). Cameron is producing the film with
Jon Landau
Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen in all three capacities. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and recei ...
. James Cameron,
Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver,
Josh Friedman
Josh Friedman (born 14 February 1967) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction action genre, including on the series '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'', the film adapta ...
and
Shane Salerno
Shane Salerno (born November 27, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer, and Chief Creative Officer of The Story Factory. His writing credits include the films '' Avatar: The Way of Water'', ''Armageddon'', '' Savages,'' '' Shaft'', and the ...
were involved in the writing process. Cast members
Sam Worthington
Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...
,
Zoe Saldaña
Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego (née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978) is an American actress widely known for her work in science fiction franchises, she has appeared in three of the five highest-grossing films of all time (''Avatar'', '' Av ...
,
Sigourney Weaver
Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gram ...
,
Stephen Lang
Stephen Lang (born July 11, 1952) is an American actor. He is known for roles in films including '' Manhunter'' (1986), '' Gettysburg'', '' Tombstone'' (both 1993), '' Gods and Generals'' (2003), '' Public Enemies'' (2009), ''Conan the Barbaria ...
,
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...
,
Cliff Curtis
Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis (born 27 July 1968) is a New Zealand actor. His film credits include ''Once Were Warriors'' (1994), ''Three Kings'' (1999), ''Training Day'' (2001), ''Whale Rider'' (2002), ''Collateral Damage'' (2002), ''Sunshine'' ...
,
Joel David Moore
Joel David Moore (born September 25, 1977) is an American character actor and director. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Moore studied acting in college before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. His first major role was as Owen ...
,
CCH Pounder
Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (born December 25, 1952) is a Guyanese-American actress. She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in ''The X-Files'', '' ER'', ''The Shield'', and ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agenc ...
,
Edie Falco
Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), and Nurse Jackie Peyton on the Showtime series ''Nurse Jackie'' (2009–2015). She also ...
,
Brendan Cowell
Brendan Cowell is an Australian actor, playwright, and director.
Early life and education
Cowell was born in Sydney and grew up in the beachside suburb of Cronulla. He credits his mother and high school drama teacher with encouraging him to e ...
,
Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement (born 10 January 1974) is a New Zealand actor, comedian, musician and filmmaker. He has released several albums with Bret McKenzie as the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and created a comedy series of the ...
,
Britain Dalton
Britain Dalton is an American actor known for his role as Lo'ak, the second son of Jake Sully and Neytiri, in the science fiction film '' Avatar: The Way of Water'' (2022). He has also appeared in the first season of the series ''Goliath'' (2016 ...
,
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss is an American actress and singer, most notable for her role as Tuktirey in James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is con ...
, Jack Champion,
Bailey Bass
Bailey Bass (born June 18, 2003) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Tsireya, a free diver, in '' Avatar: The Way of Water'' and Claudia in the television series ''Interview with the Vampire'' (both 2022).
Early life
Bass ...
, Filip Geljo,
Dileep Rao
Dileep A. Rao (born July 29, 1973) is an American actor who has appeared in feature films and television series. He starred in Sam Raimi's horror film ''Drag Me to Hell'' (2009), James Cameron's science fiction film series ''Avatar'' (2009-pres ...
,
Matt Gerald
Matt Gerald (born May 2, 1970) is an American actor and screenwriter.
Gerald was born in Miami, Florida. A graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, he is best known for his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) roles as White Power Dave in ''All Ha ...
, and
Giovanni Ribisi
Antonino Giovanni Ribisi (; born December 17, 1974) is an American actor known for his starring roles in the TV series ''Sneaky Pete'' and the films ''Avatar'' (2009), '' Lost in Translation'' (2003), ''Ted'' (2012) and its sequel ''Ted 2'' (201 ...
reprise their roles from previous films, with
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...
,
David Thewlis
David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), better known as David Thewlis (), is a British actor, author, director and screenwriter.
Thewlis rose to prominence when he starred in the film ''Naked'' (1993), for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Aw ...
, and
Oona Chaplin
Oona Castilla Chaplin (; born 4 June 1986) is a Spanish-Swiss actress. Her roles include Talisa Maegyr in the HBO TV series ''Game of Thrones'', Kitty Trevelyan in the BBC drama '' The Crimson Field'', and Zilpha Geary in the series ''Taboo' ...
portraying new characters. Cameron stated that ''Avatar: The Seed Bearer'' is being considered as a possible title for the film.
Cameron, who had stated in 2006 that he would like to make sequels to ''Avatar'' if it was successful, announced the first two sequels in 2010 following the widespread success of the first film, with ''Avatar 3'' aiming for a 2015 release.
However, the addition of three more sequels (four in total), and the necessity to develop new technology in order to film
performance capture
Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...
scenes underwater, a feat never accomplished before, led to significant delays to allow the crew more time to work on the writing, pre-production, and visual effects.
''Avatar 3'' started shooting
simultaneously
Simultaneity may refer to:
* Relativity of simultaneity, a concept in special relativity.
* Simultaneity (music), more than one complete musical texture occurring at the same time, rather than in succession
* Simultaneity, a concept in Endogene ...
with ''Avatar: The Way of Water'' in New Zealand on September 25, 2017; filming completed in late-December 2020, after over three years of shooting.
The film's theatrical release has been subject to eight delays, with the latest occurring on July 23, 2020; it is scheduled for release on December 20, 2024.
Two additional sequels are in various stages of production and are expected to be released on December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028, respectively.
Cast
*
Sam Worthington
Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...
as
Jake Sully
Jake Sully, or Tsyeyk te Suli in Naʼvi language, is a fictional character and main protagonist of the American science fiction film series ''Avatar'', created by James Cameron. Jake Sully served with the U.S. Marine Corps 1st Reconnaissa ...
, a former human who fell in love with Neytiri and befriended the Na'vi after becoming a part of the Avatar Program, eventually taking their side in their conflict with humans and, and transferred his mind into his avatar permanently. After the second film, he and his family left the Omaticaya clan and joined the Metkayina clan.
*
Zoe Saldaña
Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego (née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978) is an American actress widely known for her work in science fiction franchises, she has appeared in three of the five highest-grossing films of all time (''Avatar'', '' Av ...
as
Neytiri
Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite, also known as Neytiri Sully, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the American science fiction film series ''Avatar (franchise), Avatar'', created by James Cameron. While in a Pandoran forest, Neytiri meets a ...
, Jake's wife who left the Omaticaya, and joined the Metkayina.
*
Sigourney Weaver
Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gram ...
as Kiri, the daughter of Dr. Grace Augustine's Na’vi avatar who was adopted by Jake and Neytiri.
*
Stephen Lang
Stephen Lang (born July 11, 1952) is an American actor. He is known for roles in films including '' Manhunter'' (1986), '' Gettysburg'', '' Tombstone'' (both 1993), '' Gods and Generals'' (2003), '' Public Enemies'' (2009), ''Conan the Barbaria ...
as
Colonel Miles Quaritch, a human who led the forces of the RDA, the human organization colonizing
Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora (Greek: , derived from , ''pān'', i.e. "all" and , ''dōron'', i.e. "gift", thus "the all-endowed", "all-gifted" or "all-giving") was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hes ...
, and died in their conflict with the Na'vi in 2154. Years later, the RDA placed his and other deceased soldiers' memories into Na'vi Avatars called Recombinants.
*
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...
as Ronal, a free diver of the Metkayina and Tonowari's wife, who is pregnant.
*
Cliff Curtis
Clifford Vivian Devon Curtis (born 27 July 1968) is a New Zealand actor. His film credits include ''Once Were Warriors'' (1994), ''Three Kings'' (1999), ''Training Day'' (2001), ''Whale Rider'' (2002), ''Collateral Damage'' (2002), ''Sunshine'' ...
as Tonowari, the leader of the reef people clan of Metkayina.
*
Joel David Moore
Joel David Moore (born September 25, 1977) is an American character actor and director. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Moore studied acting in college before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. His first major role was as Owen ...
as Dr. Norm Spellman, a former part of the Avatar Program who chose to side with the Na'vi in the first film.
*
CCH Pounder
Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (born December 25, 1952) is a Guyanese-American actress. She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in ''The X-Files'', '' ER'', ''The Shield'', and ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agenc ...
as Mo'at, the Omaticaya's spiritual leader and Neytiri's mother.
*
Edie Falco
Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), and Nurse Jackie Peyton on the Showtime series ''Nurse Jackie'' (2009–2015). She also ...
as General Frances Ardmore, the commander in charge of the RDA's interests.
*
Brendan Cowell
Brendan Cowell is an Australian actor, playwright, and director.
Early life and education
Cowell was born in Sydney and grew up in the beachside suburb of Cronulla. He credits his mother and high school drama teacher with encouraging him to e ...
as Captain Mick Scoresby, the head of a private sector marine hunting vessel on the planet of Pandora.
*
Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Atea Mahana Clement (born 10 January 1974) is a New Zealand actor, comedian, musician and filmmaker. He has released several albums with Bret McKenzie as the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and created a comedy series of the ...
as Dr. Ian Garvin, a
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
.
*
Britain Dalton
Britain Dalton is an American actor known for his role as Lo'ak, the second son of Jake Sully and Neytiri, in the science fiction film '' Avatar: The Way of Water'' (2022). He has also appeared in the first season of the series ''Goliath'' (2016 ...
as Lo'ak, Jake and Neytiri's second son.
*
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss is an American actress and singer, most notable for her role as Tuktirey in James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is con ...
as Tuktirey ("Tuk"), Jake and Neytiri's eight-year-old daughter and their youngest child.
* Jack Champion as Miles Quaritch "Spider" Socorro, the teenaged son of Quaritch born in
Hell's Gate Hells Gate or Hell's Gate or Hell Gate may refer to:
Places
Africa
* Hell's Gate National Park, Kenya
Antarctica
* Hells Gate Moraine, Victoria Land
Asia
* Nyalam Town, Tibet
* A location in Nampong, Arunachal Pradesh, India
* The Darvaza gas c ...
(the human base on Pandora in the first film) who was rescued and adopted by Jake and Neytiri after they had previously killed his father.
*
Bailey Bass
Bailey Bass (born June 18, 2003) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Tsireya, a free diver, in '' Avatar: The Way of Water'' and Claudia in the television series ''Interview with the Vampire'' (both 2022).
Early life
Bass ...
as Tsireya ("Reya"), a graceful and strong
free diver
Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or skin diving is a form of underwater diving that relies on apnea, breath-holding until resurfacing rather than the use of breathing apparatus such as scuba set, scuba gear.
Besides the l ...
of the Metkayina and Tonowari and Ronal's daughter.
* Filip Geljo as Aonung, a young male hunter and free diver of the Metkayina and Tonowari and Ronal's son.
*
Giovanni Ribisi
Antonino Giovanni Ribisi (; born December 17, 1974) is an American actor known for his starring roles in the TV series ''Sneaky Pete'' and the films ''Avatar'' (2009), '' Lost in Translation'' (2003), ''Ted'' (2012) and its sequel ''Ted 2'' (201 ...
as Parker Selfridge, the former corporate administrator for the RDA mining operation in the first film.
*
Dileep Rao
Dileep A. Rao (born July 29, 1973) is an American actor who has appeared in feature films and television series. He starred in Sam Raimi's horror film ''Drag Me to Hell'' (2009), James Cameron's science fiction film series ''Avatar'' (2009-pres ...
as Dr. Max Patel, a scientist who worked in the Avatar Program and came to support Jake's rebellion against the RDA.
*
Matt Gerald
Matt Gerald (born May 2, 1970) is an American actor and screenwriter.
Gerald was born in Miami, Florida. A graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, he is best known for his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) roles as White Power Dave in ''All Ha ...
as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, a mercenary who fought and died in the RDA's battle against the Na'vi in 2154. Years later, the RDA placed his memories into a Recombinant.
David Thewlis
David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), better known as David Thewlis (), is a British actor, author, director and screenwriter.
Thewlis rose to prominence when he starred in the film ''Naked'' (1993), for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Aw ...
has been cast as an unnamed Na'vi character who will be featured in ''Avatar 3'' to ''5''.
Oona Chaplin
Oona Castilla Chaplin (; born 4 June 1986) is a Spanish-Swiss actress. Her roles include Talisa Maegyr in the HBO TV series ''Game of Thrones'', Kitty Trevelyan in the BBC drama '' The Crimson Field'', and Zilpha Geary in the series ''Taboo' ...
and
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...
portray Varang, a Na'vi, and Dr. Karina Mogue, a human scientist, respectively.
Production
Development
In 2006,
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
stated that if ''
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
'' was successful, he hoped to make two
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
s to the film.
In 2010, he said the film's widespread success confirmed that he would do so.
The sequels were originally scheduled for release in and 2015.
He included certain scenes in the first film for future story follow-ups.
Cameron planned to shoot the sequels
back-to-back
Back to Back or back-to-back may refer to:
Music Songs
* "Back to Back" (Drake song), 2015
* "Back to Back" (Jeanne Pruett song), 1979
*"Back to Back", a song by Pretty Maids from the 1984 album ''Red Hot and Heavy''
*"Back to Back", a song by ...
and to begin work "once the novel is nailed down".
The sequels were confirmed as continuing to follow the characters of Jake and Neytiri in December 2009.
Cameron implied that the humans would return as the antagonists of the story. In 2011, Cameron stated his intention to film the sequels at a
higher frame rate than the industry standard 24 frames per second, in order to add a heightened sense of reality.
In 2013, Cameron announced that the sequels would be filmed in New Zealand, with performance capture to take place in 2014. An agreement with the
New Zealand government
, background_color = #012169
, image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg
, image_size=250px
, date_established =
, country = New Zealand
, leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
, appointed = Governor-General
, main_organ =
, ...
required at least one world premiere to be held in Wellington and at least
NZ$
The New Zealand dollar ( mi, tāra o Aotearoa; sign: $, NZ$; code: NZD) is the official currency and legal tender of New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Niue, the Ross Dependency, Tokelau, and a British territory, the Pitcairn Islands. Within New ...
500 million (approximately US$410 million at December 2013 exchange rates) to be spent on production activity in New Zealand, including live-action filming and visual effects. The New Zealand government announced it would raise its baseline tax rebate for filmmaking from 15% to 20%, with 25% available to international productions in some cases and 40% for New Zealand productions (as defined by section 18 of the
New Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; mi, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amende ...
Act 1978).
In February 2016, production of the sequels was scheduled to begin in April 2016 in New Zealand.
Cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
Russell Carpenter
Russell Paul Carpenter, (born December 9, 1950) is an American cinematographer and photographer, known for collaborating with directors James Cameron, Robert Luketic and McG. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for the 1997 Best Pic ...
, who worked with Cameron on ''
True Lies
''True Lies'' is a 1994 American spy action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Art Malik, Tia Carrere, Bill Paxton, Eliza Dushku, Grant Heslov and Charlton Heston. ...
'' and ''
Titanic
RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...
'', and
art director
Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...
Aashrita Kamath, joined as crew members for the four sequels.
Kirk Krack, founder of
Performance Freediving International
Performance Freediving International (PFI) is a freediving training agency founded in 2000 by Kirk Krack. Krack coached World Champion Freedivers, Mandy-Rae Cruickshank and Martin Stepanek. PFI teaches freediving clinics around the world and i ...
, worked as a
free-diving
Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or skin diving is a form of underwater diving that relies on breath-holding until resurfacing rather than the use of breathing apparatus such as scuba gear.
Besides the limits of breath-h ...
trainer for the cast and crew for the underwater scenes.
On July 31, 2017, it was announced that the New Zealand-based visual effects studio
Weta Digital had commenced work on the ''Avatar'' sequels.
Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver
Rick Jaffa (born May 8, 1956) and Amanda Silver (born May 24, 1963) are an American married screenwriting and film production duo. were originally announced as Cameron's co-writers; it was later announced that Cameron, Jaffa, Silver,
Josh Friedman
Josh Friedman (born 14 February 1967) is an American screenwriter and television producer. He is best known for his work on the science-fiction action genre, including on the series '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'', the film adapta ...
, and
Shane Salerno
Shane Salerno (born November 27, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer, and Chief Creative Officer of The Story Factory. His writing credits include the films '' Avatar: The Way of Water'', ''Armageddon'', '' Savages,'' '' Shaft'', and the ...
took a part in the writing process of all of the sequels before being assigned to finish the separate scripts, making the eventual writing credits unclear.
However, Josh Friedman announced in November 2015, via his Twitter, that he co-wrote the third film. In November 2022, Friedman announced that he actually had co-written the screenplay for the fourth film.
Writing
Cameron wanted to explore "different cultures" from the first two ''Avatar'' films by including "Ash People"—fiery versions of Na'vi. He chose them to "another angle" as enemies because Cameron previously took Na'vi "good sides" and humans on another.
Casting
Sam Worthington
Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for playing Jake Sully in ''Avatar'' and its sequel, ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; Marcus Wright in ''Terminator Salvation'', and Perseus in '' Clash o ...
and
Zoe Saldaña
Zoë Yadira Saldaña-Perego (née Saldaña Nazario; born June 19, 1978) is an American actress widely known for her work in science fiction franchises, she has appeared in three of the five highest-grossing films of all time (''Avatar'', '' Av ...
were confirmed in January 2010 to have signed on to reprise their roles in the sequels.
Cameron also stated that
Sigourney Weaver
Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gram ...
would be featured in all three sequels (the fourth one was not planned at the time) and that her character Grace Augustine would be alive, but it was later revealed she would instead be playing Kiri, Jake and Neytiri's adopted daughter.
In August 2017, in an interview with
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
, Cameron revealed that
Stephen Lang
Stephen Lang (born July 11, 1952) is an American actor. He is known for roles in films including '' Manhunter'' (1986), '' Gettysburg'', '' Tombstone'' (both 1993), '' Gods and Generals'' (2003), '' Public Enemies'' (2009), ''Conan the Barbaria ...
would not only be returning in all four sequels but he would also be the main
villain
A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
in all four films.
In August 2017,
Matt Gerald
Matt Gerald (born May 2, 1970) is an American actor and screenwriter.
Gerald was born in Miami, Florida. A graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, he is best known for his Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) roles as White Power Dave in ''All Ha ...
had officially signed on to portray his first film's role Corporal Lyle Wainfleet in all upcoming sequels.
On October 3, 2017,
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...
had signed on in all four sequels for an unspecified role in the film.
Cameron commented, "Kate and I had been looking for something to do together for 20 years, since our collaboration on ''Titanic'', which was one of the most rewarding of my career", and added that her character was named Ronal.
On January 25, 2018,
Dileep Rao
Dileep A. Rao (born July 29, 1973) is an American actor who has appeared in feature films and television series. He starred in Sam Raimi's horror film ''Drag Me to Hell'' (2009), James Cameron's science fiction film series ''Avatar'' (2009-pres ...
was confirmed to return as Dr. Max Patel.
Winslet commented that her role was "relatively small comparative to the lengthy shoot", as she would only have one month of shootings, but also "a pivotal character in the ongoing story".
In June 2017,
Oona Chaplin
Oona Castilla Chaplin (; born 4 June 1986) is a Spanish-Swiss actress. Her roles include Talisa Maegyr in the HBO TV series ''Game of Thrones'', Kitty Trevelyan in the BBC drama '' The Crimson Field'', and Zilpha Geary in the series ''Taboo' ...
joined the cast as Varang, "a strong and vibrant central character who spans the entire saga of the sequels" starting with 3.
Eiza González
Eiza González Reyna (born 30 January 1990) is a Mexican actress and singer. She gained popularity for her debut role as Lola Valente in the Mexican musical telenovela ''Lola, érase una vez'' (2007–2008) and later starred in the lead role of ...
also auditioned for Chaplin's role. In April 2018,
David Thewlis
David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), better known as David Thewlis (), is a British actor, author, director and screenwriter.
Thewlis rose to prominence when he starred in the film ''Naked'' (1993), for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Aw ...
revealed his involvement in the franchise, stating that he would be featured in three of the four sequels, later stating in January 2020 that his character was a Na'vi.
This led to Thewlis being largely reported as part of the cast of ''Avatar: The Way of Water''; however, he stated in June 2020 that the reports were wrong, and that he would actually be a part of ''Avatar 3'' to ''5''.
In 2019,
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...
joined the cast in a live-action role as Dr Karina Mogue.
In early April 2019,
Vin Diesel
Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Diesel began audition ...
announced that he would be joining the cast of the ''Avatar'' sequel in an undisclosed role.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
on ''Avatar: The Way of Water'' and ''3'' began simultaneously on September 25, 2017, in
Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast south of El Segundo, California, El Segundo, west of Hawthorne, California, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach, California, Red ...
.
On November 14, 2018, Cameron announced filming with the principal performance capture cast had been completed. Most filming on the next two sequels will begin after wrapping the post-production on first two sequels.
[ According to producer Jon Landau, live-action filming for ''Avatar 3'' and its predecessor commenced in New Zealand in early 2019. On March 17, 2020, Landau announced that the filming of the ''Avatar'' sequel films in New Zealand had been postponed indefinitely in response to the ]COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. He also confirmed that production would remain in Los Angeles. However, work on visual effects will continue at Weta Digital in Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
.
In early May, health and safety production protocols have been endorsed by the New Zealand government, allowing filming to resume in the country. However the production team for the ''Avatar'' sequels has not yet returned to New Zealand. On May 31, part of the ''Avatar'' crew including James Cameron were granted entry into New Zealand under a special visa category for border exemptions for foreigners deemed essential to a project of "significant economic value." On June 1, 2020, Landau posted a picture of himself and Cameron on Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, showing that they had returned to New Zealand to resume filming. After their arrival, all 55 crew members who had traveled to New Zealand started a 2-week government-supervised isolation period at a hotel in Wellington before they would resume filming. This would make ''Avatar: The Way of Water'' and ''3'' the first major Hollywood blockbusters to resume production after postponing filming due to the pandemic. In September 2020, Cameron announced that 95% of ''Avatar 3'' had been completed. Filming wrapped in December 2020.
In early July 2022, the New Zealand Film Commission
The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; mi, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amende ...
acknowledged that the ''Avatar'' sequels had received over NZ$140 million worth of taxpayer funding via the country's Screen Production Grant. By comparison, ''The Hobbit'' trilogy had received NZ$161 million in film subsidies. While ACT party
ACT New Zealand, known simply as ACT (), is a Right-wing politics, right-wing, Classical liberalism, classical-liberal List of political parties in New Zealand, political party in New Zealand. According to former party leader Rodney Hide, ACT's ...
deputy leader Brooke van Velden criticised the Government's film subsidy programme for allegedly diverting public funding from other areas, the Economic Development and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash
Stuart Alexander Nash (born August 1967) is a politician from New Zealand. He was a list member of the House of Representatives for the Labour Party from to 2011, and was re-elected in the as representative of the Napier electorate. He ente ...
argued that New Zealand's film subsidies for major Hollywood products brought substantial overseas investment and jobs for the New Zealand film industry.
Music
In August 2021, Landau announced that Simon Franglen
Simon Franglen (born Westminster, London, England) is an English composer of classical and film music. He is also a record producer and former musician. His credits include four of the list of top grossing films and six of the list of best-sell ...
would compose the score for the ''Avatar'' sequels.
Release
''Avatar 3'' is scheduled to be released on December 20, 2024, by 20th Century Studios
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
. Like its predecessor, the film was subjected to eight delays, since the crew took more time on the writing, pre-production and visual effects process. It was originally scheduled for December 2015, until Cameron pushed the release to 2016, 2017 and 2018. In April 2016, coinciding with the launch of four ''Avatar'' sequels, a new release date of December 2020 was announced. The following year, a new release date of December 17, 2021 was announced, with the recurring sequels: ''Avatar'' ''4'' and ''5'' releasing on December 20, 2024, and December 19, 2025, respectively. However, following the announcement of the three upcoming ''Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' films, in May 2019, the sequels' release dates were pushed back to two years, with ''Avatar 3'', being scheduled to released on December 22, 2023. The release date was again deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, and in August 2020, a new release of December 20, 2024 was announced. ''Avatar 3 ''and its forthcoming sequels will be released in Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. It includes dynamic metadata that are used to adjust and optimize each frame of the ...
.
In December 2022, shortly after ''Avatar: The Way of Water'' was released, it was revealed that James Cameron's first cut of ''Avatar 3'' had a running time of nine hours. James Cameron revealed in a interview with ''20 minutes'' that the film would feature new Na'vi people, called the 'Ash people', who will be the antagonists of the film.
Sequels
''Avatar 3'' is the second of four planned sequels to ''Avatar''. ''Avatar 4'' and ''Avatar 5'' are planned to follow after the third film's release. Although the last two sequels have been reportedly greenlit, Cameron stated in a November 26, 2017 interview: "Let's face it, if ''Avatar 2'' and ''3'' don't make enough money, there's not going to be a ''4'' and ''5''". David Thewlis
David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), better known as David Thewlis (), is a British actor, author, director and screenwriter.
Thewlis rose to prominence when he starred in the film ''Naked'' (1993), for which he won the Cannes Film Festival Aw ...
later confirmed this in February 2018, stating "they're making ''2'' and ''3'', they're gonna see if people go and see them, and then they'll make ''4'' and ''5''". Conversely, Sigourney Weaver
Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gram ...
stated in November 2018, after the first two sequels had completed main photography, that she was currently "busy doing ''Avatar 4'' and ''5''", which several media outlets interpreted as confirmation that the last two sequels had started filming. In January 2019, in face of the proposed acquisition of 21st Century Fox
Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., doing business as 21st Century Fox (21CF), was an American multinational mass media corporation that was based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was one of the two companies formed on June 28, 2013, f ...
by The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
, Disney CEO Bob Iger
Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the President and Ch ...
confirmed that both ''Avatar 4'' and ''Avatar 5'' are being developed but have not been officially greenlit. According to producer Jon Landau
Jon Landau (born May 14, 1947) is an American music critic, manager, and record producer. He has worked with Bruce Springsteen in all three capacities. He is the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and recei ...
in February 2019, Iger may have been misinterpreted. He said that ''Avatar 4'' and ''5'' "are not only reenlit but also a third of ''Avatar 4'' has already been filmed. In September 2022, at the D23 Expo
D23: The Official Disney Fan Club is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, the D23 Expo. The name ''D23'' refers to ''D'' for ''Disney'' and ''23' ...
, Cameron announced that principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
had officially begun for ''Avatar 4''.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Avatar 3
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