Filmmaker James Cameron is known for being a visionary filmmaker, and for being behind three of the highest grossing movies of all time. Two of these titles are from the Avatar franchise, which is expected to release three more movies over the next few years. We know that Cameron filmed the first two sequels simultaneously, but the next Avatar movies are farther along that you might think.
James Cameron’s original Avatar movie helped to revitalize the 3D industry, and was wildly successful upon its release. Avatar 2 may have arrived nearly a decade later, but its performance at the box office showed that the public is still invested in the saga on Pandora. The next few sequels aren’t expected to take nearly as long, and producer Jon Landau recently spoke at a press event for the Avatar: The Way of Water digital release regarding just how much footage has already been captured, saying:
We were not just filming Avatar 2, we were actually filming and capturing for 2, 3 and the first act of movie 4.
Talk about a productive filming period. It turns out that James Cameron and company filmed two full movies and the first part of Avatar 4 all at once. Obviously there’s a ton of work still to be done with visual effects and motion capture, but it seems like Cameron and company are very clear on the story that’s being told. Give us the threequel already!
Jon Landau’s comments about the future Avatar sequels show how methodically James Cameron has approached his ambitious sci-fi franchise. And it sounds like they only need to film enough footage to complete the fourth installment, and then finish it all up with Avatar 5. I’m super curious about when this will occur, especially if production will once again occur in New Zealand.
Despite any worries about the long wait between films, Avatar: The Way of Water ended up being wildly successful when it was released back in December. While audiences were all too happy to return to the magical world of Pandora, the first sequel definitely left a ton of questions unanswered about what comes next. And as such, it’s going to be a hard wait until Avatar 3 hits theaters in December of 2024.
Considering just how far into filming James Cameron is with the Avatar franchise, there are definitely some moviegoers who want to see him and Disney change their mind and give us the threequel this coming December. But that doesn’t seem too likely; the extra time should allow for the visual effects to end up as gorgeous as they were in the previous two entries.
Avatar 3 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on December 20th, 2024. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.