After a long wait of 13 years, Avatar: The Way of Water finally hit theatres yesterday. However, there’s a lot more to come, and the wait time will not be this long this time!
Now that Avatar 2 is officially here, we can talk about the way ahead. If I had mentioned Avatar 3 to any of my friends even at the beginning of this year, they’d have laughed at me. For a long time, we were all convinced that Avatar 2 would offer us nothing but delayed release dates and an unending waiting time.
But here we are, and now we’re brave enough to discuss Avatar 3!
Avatar 3 was confirmed to be in the making several years ago. The third installment in the franchise is definitely in James Cameron’s sequel plan that consists of five films.
Avatar: The Way of Water explains and illustrates Cameron’s sequel plans much better onscreen. As of now, we’re sure that Cameron has no intentions of giving up on the Avatar franchise anytime soon and definitely has three more sequels on the cards.
The Way of Water, in fact, leaves a lot of plot threads and storylines unfinished, which will most likely be taken care of in Avatar 3. Let’s move on to talking a little bit more about Avatar 3, now that it is most definitely confirmed.
How many sequels will the Avatar franchise have?
As of writing this article, the Avatar franchise is confirmed to have five films in all. Much of Avatar 3 was filmed alongside Avatar 2, which means that we will not have to wait too long for the third film.
Moreover, parts of Avatar 4 were also completed back in 2018. In other words, Cameron will surely make at least three more Avatar films after The Way of Water. Cameron previously spoke about his plan to tell the story of the Na’vi in five parts—Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and the upcoming Avatar 3, 4, and 5.
Unless The Way of Water performs terribly at the box office or there’s some major disaster (such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which was responsible for the never-ending delay for Avatar 2), Cameron will surely go ahead and make the next three films.
As of now, Avatar 3 is definitely happening, considering how well Avatar 2 is expected to perform at the box office. Reviews have also rated the sequel higher than the first film, which only improves the film’s box office prospects.
Cameron has also finished filming much of Avatar 3, so it should arrive quite soon. As of now, it is due for release on December 24, 2024, after a fair share of delays.
How does Avatar 2 set the stage for Avatar 3?
The most important part of Avatar 2’s ending is Spider saving Colonel Quaritch from drowning. Since Quaritch is still alive, trouble is not over for Jake Sully and his family yet. Quaritch will most likely continue his quest for revenge.
Considering the finale battle in The Way of Water, Quaritch will come back even more dangerous this time, with unparallel rage. So, things will heat up much more for sure. Moreover, Spider saving his dad could spell trouble between his surrogate family and him, if they find out about it.
The RDA-Na’vi conflict will continue to brew as it was not resolved, and they might return after being better prepared, which does not sound good for Jake at all.
The main motive of the RDA is to expand in Pandora, thereby making it worth living for humans. The RDA wants to colonize the planet and make it “livable” by uprooting the native people of the planet. This will create further conflict between the Na’vi, who’ve always wanted to protect their homeland.
Avatar 3 can further delve into this theme of colonization and explore more about its effects. This will give the Avatar franchise a politically charged interpretation, which will surely add to the depth of the film.
In one scene in Avatar 2, Captain Scoresby hunts the tulkun, despite knowing their importance to the Metkayina clan. This shows man’s disregard for those who aren’t his own kind and his need to alter their lifestyle and habits to fit them into his idea of a civilized society—the core of colonization. Avatar 3 can delve deeper into this subject.
Avatar 3 Cast
Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana will surely reprise their roles as Jake and Neytiri in Avatar 3. Other members of the cast, such as Sigourney Weaver, Britain Dalton, and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, who play Jake and Neytiri’s children, will also return in Avatar 3.
Jack Champion as Spider, Stephen Lang as Quaritch, Kate Winslet as Ronal, Cliff Curtis as Tonowari, and Bailey Bass as Reya will also be a part of the cast.
Apart from the familiar names, we will also see some new characters in Avatar 3. Oona Chaplin has been roped in to play a new character called Varang, who will appear in the next three Avatar films. David Thewlis is also expected to join the cast as an unnamed Na’vi character. Michelle Yeoh will be playing Dr. Karina Mogue in the subsequent Avatar films as well.
Release Date
The Avatar franchise and delays are a match made in heaven, and Avatar 3 has also faced its fair share of postponements. As of now, Avatar 3 is supposed to hit theaters on December 24, 2024.
Apart from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Avatar films have been delayed subsequently because James Cameron insisted on having all five scripts prepared before the films went into production. Moreover, it took the visuals team a long time to work on the stunning visuals and the whole world-building.
Hopefully, there will be no more delays, and Avatar 3 will hit the theaters in two years. We’ll surely be in line to buy the tickets!
About Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water is an upcoming American epic science fiction film directed by James Cameron and produced by 20th Century Studios. It is the second film in Cameron’s Avatar franchise, following Avatar (2009).
Cameron produces with Jon Landau. Cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald are all reprising their roles from the original film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a different role. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, and CJ Jones.
Avatar 2 revolves around a universal concept of family and follows Jake Sully and Neytiri 14 years after the first film as they focus on protecting their child. However, they are forced to leave their home and explore the different regions of Pandora when an old threat returns to finish what they started. Jake has never faced a bigger challenge.
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