In a press conference at the Busan International Film Festival, Avatar franchise producer Jon Landau announced that the first act of Avatar 4 has already been filmed. The first Avatar is 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 Water is set to premiere on December 16, 2022, and Avatar 3 has already finished filming. The remainder of Avatar 4 has already been designed and planned out.
Per Variety, Landau said that there were "logistical reasons" for developing the movies alongside one another. He also hinted at the general structure of the Avatar sequels, 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 at potentially not directing Avatar 4 and 5 since 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 3 is expected to be released on December 20, 2024, and Avatar 4 is expected to be released on December 18, 2026. No additional details were released regarding Avatar 4's plot, but it appears that most of the original cast members will reprise their roles. Alien star Sigourney Weaver will 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 first Avatar film may 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 of Avatar and 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 for Avatar: The Way of Water and its upcoming sequels.
Avatar: The Way of Water will premiere in theaters on December 16, 2022.
Source: Variety