Summary

• Avatar 2's success confirmed that there will be more adventures on Pandora in the future, setting up anticipation for upcoming Avatar movies.
• Avatar 3 is rumored to focus on the Na'vi rebuilding the Tree of Souls and will introduce a dark fire tribe.
• Avatar 4 will feature a time jump and explore the significance of the water tribe.

Avatar: The Way of Water broke box office records, so there's already anticipation for the next Avatar movie, and though they're far from release, there's information on every upcoming Avatar movie. Despite premiering more than a decade after the original 2009 film, Avatar 2 proved all of James Cameron's doubters wrong by being a financial success and receiving acclaim during the 2023 awards season. While Cameron insisted the rest of the series would depend on how the first sequel performed, Avatar: The Way of Water's success cemented the fact that there will be many more adventures on Pandora.

Avatar followed paraplegic Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), who was given a cloned avatar body to infiltrate the Na'vi people on Pandora on behalf of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). Jake became close to the Na'vi people through Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) and helped lead them to defeat Quaritch. Sixteen years later, Jake and Neytiri's family were on the run from new forces from Earth, led by Quaritch's avatar in Avatar: The Way of Water. They sought refuge among the water tribe and learned their ways, vastly expanding the franchise lore and hinting at where the next Avatar movies would go.

Avatar 3

Avatar 3 Will Be Released On December 19, 2025

A script leak from Avatar: The Way of Water's bonus features revealed Spider can breathe Pandora's air and confirmed that Kiri will have a significant role in Avatar 3.

Parts of the third film were shot back-to-back with Avatar 2, so principal photography was completed by December 2020. Most of the original cast is expected to return in Avatar 3, including Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldaña, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang, and many more. The third movie will also see several new cast members joining the franchise, including David Thewlis, Oona Chaplin, and Everything Everywhere All At Once's Michelle Yeoh.

Not many specific details about the Avatar 3 story have been revealed, but its rumored (and not confirmed) title — Avatar: The Seed Bearer — could contain a hidden plot hint. In the first Avatar film, Quaritch destroyed the Tree of Souls, a sacred tree to the Na'vi. From the Tree of Souls come woodsprites, tiny dandelion-like seeds which hold religious significance for the Na'vi. The Seed Bearer could focus on the Na'vi attempting to rebuild the Tree of Souls in Pandora, searching for woodsprites across the moon.

James Cameron previously teased the introduction of the fire tribe in Avatar 3, which is certainly an interesting development. The fire tribe will represent a more villainous faction of the Na'vi, an exciting new direction needed for the Avatar movies. Oona Chaplin is also confirmed to play the tribe's chief, Varang, and will perhaps serve as a villain to rival Quaritch. Additionally, a script leak from Avatar: The Way of Water's bonus features revealed Spider can breathe Pandora's air and confirmed that Kiri will have a significant role in Avatar 3.

Several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 strikes in Hollywood resulted in Avatar 3's release date getting pushed back to December 2025 after originally being scheduled for December 2024.

However, in May 2023, Sigourney Weaver revealed that Avatar 3 would undergo reshoots, which commenced in early 2024. While discussing Cameron, the actress explained, "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." However, should the remainder of filming Avatar 3 go smoothly, the next Avatar movie should still arrive in 2025.

Avatar 4

Avatar 4 Will Be Released On December 21, 2029

Producer John Landau explained that there would be a time jump in Avatar 4 and some parts of the movie were already filmed to avoid the young cast aging too quickly.

The second upcoming Avatar movie, Avatar 4, will be shot back-to-back with Avatar 5, and is currently set to release in December 2029. Avatar 4 's reported title is Avatar: The Tulkun Rider, but no one involved in the making of the film has confirmed this rumor. Additionally, most of the cast is expected to return for this fourth movie.

The Tulkun were first introduced in Avatar 2, with Lo'ak befriending the Paykan, an exiled Tulkun. The title for Avatar 4 could also refer to the Paykan, but this is unlikely as the Tulkun have a deep connection to the water tribe. This would track with James Cameron's comments hinting at the Water Tribe's significance throughout the remaining Avatar movies. Producer John Landau also explained that there would be a time jump in Avatar 4 (via Bleeding Cool) and some parts of the movie were already filmed to avoid the young cast aging too quickly. Landau explained:

"The first act [is already shot]. Because truth be told, there's a time cut after the end of the first act [of Avatar 4], and we needed to get all the kids before they got older and shoot all that out."

While the time jump doesn't reveal much about the narrative, those who have read the Avatar 4 script have been blown away. After complaining about studio notes about the first two movies, Cameron told Collider:

"When I turned in the script for 4, the studio executive, creative executive over the films wrote me an email that said, ‘Holy f***.’ And I said, ‘Well, where are the notes?’ And she said, 'Those are the notes.'"

Though just as excited, Weaver was a little more modest about the Avatar 4 script, noting during an interview with USA Today:

"I have read 4... It's an incredible story – everyone should hold on to their hats."

Sam Worthington previously confirmed that production on Avatar 4 would commence in February 2024.

Avatar 5

Avatar 5 Will Be Released On December 19, 2031

Like the third and fourth installments in the Avatar film series, Avatar 5 has a rumored title — Avatar: The Quest for Eywa — which has not been confirmed. The last Avatar movie will arrive in December 2031, more than 20 years after the first one. The reported title refers to the goddess deity known as Eywa, worshipped by the Na'vi and said to be the life force that connects everything on Pandora. This means Avatar 5 could deal with Eywa directly, possibly discovering the source of the deity on Pandora.

The Avatar franchise bringing the franchise's overarching story to Earth could mean several things, from Na'vi refugees being forced to leave Pandora, to an all-out war in Avatar 5 during which the Na'vi invade Earth.

As Avatar 5 is the furthest away, it has fewer updates than Avatar 3 or 4. However, it has been confirmed that the Na'vi will return to Earth in Avatar 5. Kiri is one of them, which is the key to completing Kiri and Quaritch's arcs. Sigourney Weaver's Kiri can learn more about her mother, Dr. Grace, and find out who her father is. Returning to Earth could even be a fish-out-of-water tale for Quaritch, as he's now in a Na'vi body and likely wouldn't fit in, getting a taste of his own medicine when he's inevitably outcast from society.

The Avatar franchise bringing the franchise's overarching story to Earth could mean several things, from Na'vi refugees being forced to leave Pandora, to an all-out war in Avatar 5 during which the Na'vi invade Earth. While there's still a considerable wait until the next Avatar movie, numerous exciting things are in store for the franchise's future in the next five years.

James Cameron teased that he has plans for Avatar 6 and Avatar 7 but suggested that the possible sequels would feature a new director.

Source: Bleeding Cool, Collider, USA Today

Key Release Dates

• 

  Avatar 3

  Release Date:

  2025-12-19

• 

  Avatar 4

  Release Date:

  2029-12-21

• 

  Avatar 5

  Release Date:

  2031-12-19