‘Avatar 4’ – Everything We Know About James Cameron’s Planned Sequel

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The new movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash, comes out this weekend, and plans for Avatar 4 are already underway. Suggesting five movies in total is a big risk for any franchise, but director James Cameron has a proven track record of success. His previous Avatar films were huge hits, and he’s determined to complete the series.

Now that people have seen Avatar: Fire and Ash, they’re probably eager to find out what happens next. While it’s still too soon to know the whole story, James Cameron has already started filming the sequel, and we have some hints about what to expect. If you’re excited to return to Pandora, here’s what we know about the next Avatar movie.

WARNING: This includes SPOILERS for Avatar: Fire and Ash

The Story for ‘Avatar 4’


20th Century Studios

We don’t know many specifics about Avatar 4 yet, except that it will jump forward eight years, according to Vanity Fair. James Cameron is currently prioritizing finishing Fire and Ash and isn’t sharing much about the fourth film, which is still in production, as he told Deadline.

I like to compare a difficult situation to childbirth. You wouldn’t ask a woman who’s about to deliver her baby about future pregnancies – you focus on getting through the present moment. It’s about dealing with what’s happening now, not worrying about what might come later.

Based on the events of Fire and Ash, we can expect Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) to continue protecting the Metkayina clan, having fought with them twice now. Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) will likely still seek revenge on Jake, and he’ll have more allies this time, thanks to Varang (Oona Chaplin) and her Mangkwan clan. Although he seemingly fell to his death, Fire and Ash brought back a villain previously thought dead in The Way of Water. Considering Miles Quaritch survived a similar situation in the first Avatar film, just because a character appears to die doesn’t necessarily mean they’re gone for good.

The Kids Will Return For ‘Avatar 4’


Walt Disney Pictures

The next movie will likely focus on how Jake Sully’s children are developing, especially Kiri. Kiri has become increasingly important on Pandora, as she can now directly connect with the planet’s life force. She’s become so powerful that she gave Spider, Miles Quaritch’s human son, the ability to breathe the air on Pandora. This has sparked a lot of interest from both humans and the Na’vi, and will likely be a major plot point in the sequel. Before, Miles just wanted to raise Spider as his own, but now others want to capture and study him because of his unique connection to Pandora. This situation is so significant that Jake almost decides it’s best to remove Spider from the equation entirely.

James Cameron is working hard to film as much of the upcoming sequels as possible. Knowing the young actors will grow quickly, he’s prioritizing scenes with Jake’s children – Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), and Spider (Jack Champion) – to ensure they still appear the right age when the movies, which will jump forward in time, are released, according to Variety. It’s confirmed that these characters will return in Avatar 4.

Details about the next Avatar movie’s cast are scarce, as director James Cameron hasn’t revealed much about the plot. While not confirmed, Sam Worthington will likely reprise his role as Jake Sully, as suggested by a recent interview with Cameron. The introduction of a new Na’vi clan, the ‘Fire and Ash’ people, hints that the film may feature another clan connected to a different part of Pandora’s environment, potentially opening the door for new actors to join the cast and the visually stunning alien world.

Will ‘Avatar 4’ Even Happen?


© 20th Century Studios / courtesy Everett Collection

James Cameron has consistently worked to bring his Avatar stories to life, and so far, the films have been very successful financially. However, Disney might decide to stop making Avatar movies if future installments don’t perform well. Although the first two Avatar films were huge earners, they were also incredibly expensive to produce, with Fire and Ash costing over $400 million.

As a huge fan of the Avatar films, I’ve been following the sequels closely, and it’s good to hear James Cameron is still committed to finishing the story, even if he’s feeling the pressure. He recently mentioned on the Town with Matthew Belloni podcast (according to IGN) that if he can’t finish the last two movies, he’ll publish them as novels instead – which is a cool idea, honestly! It’s true he takes his time with projects – remember how long it took to get Alita: Battle Angel made? – but he always seems to follow through eventually, and he still wants to make Alita 2 happen, so I’m optimistic about Avatar too.

James Cameron recently sparked concern among fans when he told The Hollywood Reporter that he has “other stories to tell,” both outside of and within the Avatar universe. However, he quickly clarified that he isn’t leaving the Avatar franchise altogether. Instead, he’s considering opening up the filmmaking process to more collaborators, which would allow him to work on other projects—like his planned adaptation of The Devils—while Avatar films are still being made. He intends to continue directing, but may step back from overseeing every detail of post-production.

When Will ‘Avatar 4’ Be Released?


Walt Disney Pictures

According to producer Jon Landau, Disney plans to release Avatar 4 in theaters on December 21, 2029, as reported by Deadline. While that’s several years away, it’s a shorter wait than the 13 years fans had to wait between the first Avatar film and The Way of Water. It’s also less than the three-year gap planned between The Way of Water and the next installment, Fire and Ash.

The release of Avatar 4 was originally planned for December 18, 2026, but was delayed three years due to the WGA strikes at Disney. This also pushed back the planned release of Avatar 5 from December 22, 2028, to December 19, 2031. Disney is expected to stick to this new date, as Avatar movies have traditionally been successful when released in December during the holiday season. However, the final decision could depend on how well the upcoming film, Fire and Ash, performs this year.

James Cameron is confirmed to direct Avatar 4, and he’s collaborating on the screenplay with Josh Friedman, who previously contributed to the stories for The Way of Water and The Seed Bearer.

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2025-12-20 03:34