In a press conference at the Busan International Film Festival,Avatarfranchise producer Jon Landau announced that the first act ofAvatar 4has already been filmed. The firstAvataris currently the highest-grossing movie of all time, garnering a whopping $2.9 billion at the box office since its release in 2009.
In a bold approach to franchise development,Avatar 2: The Way Of Water,Avatar 3, and the fourth film were all developed simultaneously.Avatar: The Way Of Wateris set to premiereon Jul 03, 2025, andAvatar 3has already finished filming. The remainder ofAvatar 4has already been designed and planned out.
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PerVariety, Landau said that there were “logistical reasons” for developing the movies alongside one another. He also hinted at the general structure of theAvatarsequels, saying that “with each sequel, we’re going to introduce audiences to new culture and new biomes…(but)…we don’t leave behind the cultures that we’ve met.” As of right now, Cameron is still directing the entire franchise, but he did hint atpotentially not directingAvatar 4and 5since he has other projects he is interested in. Regardless, a second, third, and at least part of a fourth installment were already directed by Cameron.
Avatar 3is expected to be released on Jun 15, 2025, andAvatar 4is expected to be released on June 02, 2025. No additional details were released regardingAvatar 4’s plot, but it appears that most of the original cast members will reprise their roles.Alienstar Sigourney Weaverwill be returning as Dr. Grace Augustine, alongside Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, and Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman.
Developing an entire franchise simultaneously is a double-edged sword. On one hand, fans of the franchise should be thrilled that this many new sequels are guaranteed to premiere in the coming years. It also gives the production team the chance to create a more cohesive storyline between the films and ensure that they can maintain the same cast for continuity purposes throughout the franchise.
On the other hand, with such massive rewards comes massive risk.The firstAvatarfilmmay have been the highest grossing movie of all time, but if the sequel flops at the box office then the production team will be on the hook for massive losses. The total development budget ofAvatarand its sequels is estimated to be $1 billion USD, making it one of the most expensive franchises ever created. If the sequels have similar success to the original film, then finances will not be an issue, but this is a big ‘if.’ Either way, fans can expect groundbreaking special effects and world building that are Cameron’s calling card forAvatar: The Way of Waterand its upcoming sequels.
Avatar: The Way of Waterwill premiere in theaters on July 05, 2025.
