Director James Cameron reveals the filming time frame for Avatar 4 and details about a big narrative time jump. The sci-fi epic Avatar has earned $2.9 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time. Cameron added to the franchise 13 years later with the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, which brought back original stars Zoe Saldaña (Neytiri), Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Sigourney Weaver (Kiri/Grace), and Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch). Three more installments featuring the main cast are in the works, with the franchise set to end with Avatar 5. This year, it was confirmed that the sequels have been delayed, with Avatar 4 now set for release in 2029 and Avatar 5 set for release in 2031. Despite the delays, producer Jon Landau revealed earlier this year that some of Act 1 of Avatar 4 was already filmed alongside Avatar 2 and 3.
Now, Cameron has revealed during a recent conversation with People that the third installment is “right on track” for its release date, and the fourth installment in the franchise will start filming after the release of Avatar 3. He also revealed that there would be a time jump in the installment, which justifies this filming schedule. See what the director had to say below:
“We did the capture on three and the live-action photography on three as an intermingled production with [Avatar: The Way of Water], and we even did part of movie four because our young characters are all going to have a big time jump in movie four. 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.”
What To Expect From Avatar 4
Based on Cameron’s comments and previous updates about the future Avatar films, a time jump is expected in Avatar 4, resulting in Jake (Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Saldaña) children aging up. Introduced in Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake and Neytiri’s children are played by Britain Dalton as Lo’ak, Weaver as Kiri, and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as “Tuk.” With the youngest child, Tuk, being 8 years old in the Avatar sequel, most of the children will be adults in the back half of Avatar 4 and beyond, with Tuk potentially being reintroduced as a teenager.
Since Avatar 4 will resume filming after Avatar 3 is released, filming is unlikely to commence until 2026, which could potentially mark a seven-year time jump after Act 1 of Avatar 4. It was previously revealed that Avatar 3 will feature a new tribe of Na’vi whose culture centers around fire. Since Avatar: The Way of Water brought a water tribe of Na’vi into the fold, it’s possible that this theme of elements will continue, and Avatar 4 could introduce an earth clan of Na’vi once it is finally released.
Why Avatar 4 Could Reveal A Secret Underground Na’vi Clan
Avatar had air Na’vi, Avatar: The Way of Water introduced water Na’vi, Avatar 3 has fire Na’vi. Shouldn’t Avatar 4 finally reveal earth Na’vi?
Cameron has also previously teased more conflict between the Na’vi in future Avatar movies since humans have been the main aggressors thus far in the franchise. If Avatar 3 introduces more hostile Na’vi characters, perhaps the fourth installment will deal with an escalation in tensions or even a larger war between differing Na’vi tribes and the fallout that occurs as a result. While this means having to wait six years between now and the release of Avatar 4, Cameron’s comments should inspire confidence that the franchise is back on track.
Avatar 4
- Release Date:
- 2029-12-21
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- PG-13
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- Summary:
- Avatar 4 is the fourth film in James Cameron’s Avatar franchise. The franchise follows the adventures of the Na’vi, a race of intelligent beings that live in the lush world of Pandora. Sam Worthington and Zoe Zaldana reprise their roles as Jake Sully, a human turned Na’vi via an experimental program, and Neytiri, Jake’s wife and born Na’vi.
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