Avatar 3’s Conflicting Filming Reports Get Clarifying Update From Sigourney Weaver

After two key creatives indicated more work was needed on the sequel, Sigourney Weaver has shared a clarifying update on Avatar 3‘s conflicting filming reports. James Cameron’s threequel was the second of four films originally greenlit by Fox and now spearheaded by Disney via the 20th Century Studios brand, continuing the story of the Sully family. Production on Avatar 3 was conducted simultaneously with the Oscar-winning sequel, The Way of Water, though its status has remained largely unclear in recent months.

While speaking exclusively with Screen Rant for the psychological drama Master Gardener, Sigourney Weaver offered an update on Avatar 3. When asked about the varying filming reports from Cameron and co-star Zoe Saldaña, Weaver shared a clarifying update, confirming that while they are going to do some more filming in the new year, it is unlikely to be “whole new scenes.” See what Weaver shared below:

I know that in January, I go back and probably do some pickups, I don’t think there are whole new scenes to be shot. I think it’s going to be refining what [James Cameron’s] got now that he’s closing in on the edit, because he always has too much material. He loves to shoot. I wouldn’t even begin to guess of what we might be doing, but I think it’s just maybe going back to a couple of moments and giving him some footage that he didn’t get the way he wants to. No [I haven’t seen any footage], it’s not that kind of thing, it’s top secret even for us. [Chuckles] And then, probably when I go back in January and do a day on it, they will show me 20 minutes of it, but otherwise, I’m just in the dark, just like everybody else.

Will Avatar 3 Get A Release Date Delay?

Those excited for Avatar 3 have been left uncertain how close to making its 2024 scheduled release date the movie is thanks to differing updates from Cameron and Saldaña. The former indicated as far back as 2020 that the next movie was “95 percent complete“, with filming announced to be wrapped in December of the same year, while the latter stated just this March that the production was only “70 percent” done.

Weaver’s update seems to clarify that Avatar 3 ultimately sits somewhere between those two numbers, with some pickup work needed heading into additional photography next year. While Saldaña’s previous comments indicated filming would get back underway this summer, the ongoing WGA writers strike is likely preventing this, considering Cameron is also a writer on the movie, and as such any additional shooting is tentatively scheduled for January 2024, barring any further delays from the movement.

Related: Writers Guild Strike 2023 Explained: What It Means For Your Favorite TV Shows

This delay does raise the question, however, of whether Avatar 3 will get a release date delay amid the remaining production needed on the movie. Considering the amount of visual effects work that goes into Cameron’s movies, whether the additional filming necessitates said CGI will likely be a major factor into a potential delay for the threequel. Though with Avatar: The Way of Water proving a critical and commercial smash after a 13-year wait, those who love the franchise are likely willing to wait, if need be.