Avatar 3 will connect to characters found in Disney World’s Pandora according to director James Cameron. The Avatar: The Way of Water sequel is said to feature a new Na’vi clan of fire people. With this introduction, Avatar 3 will add a additional group of Na’vi to the Pandora universe, which has thus far been explored through the Omaticaya and Metkayina clans. Avatar 3 is set for release on December 20, 2024.
Cameron reveals more about where some new Avatar 3 characters take their inspiration in a new interview with Deadline Hollywood. According to Cameron, Avatar 3 will pull characters from Disney World’s Pandora into its story.
These characters, Cameron said, will be people who are “desert people…the windtraders that trade, that travel around, that sort of thing.”
What These Avatar 3 Characters Mean for Disney
Deriving Avatar 3 characters from Disney World attractions is no small news for Disney. In fact, while basing films off their park attractions isn't new, using elements to inspire film characters will represent a first for Disney. Typically, theme park attractions would derive from their cinematic counterparts. Avatar 3 will turn this model on its head, reinventing the relationship between Disney theme parks and the studio’s films.
This development is also then vital for Disney’s Fox deal. When Disney acquired Fox in 2019, they absorbed Avatar and its entities, allowing them to create The World of Pandora attractions in their parks. Through inventively connecting this world with that of Avatar 3, Cameron is allowing Avatar to exist fully within the internal Disney universe rather than just as a beneficial byproduct of the Fox deal. In other words, this choice effectively situates the Avatar universe as not just any franchise but a Disney franchise.
This Avatar 3 move will also create further hype for both The World of Pandora at Disney World and Avatar 3 itself. Avatar fans interested in a sneak peek at the future “desert people” of Avatar 3 may feel more inclined to visit the World of Pandora. Hopefully, those visits to Disney World will spawn some interesting Avatar 3 theories as December 2024 approaches.
Source: Deadline Hollywood / YouTube
