James Cameron shares (exciting?) updates about third Avatar film

Be warned, film fans – and plan your toilet breaks well in advance – because James Cameron has revealed that the third part of his Avatar saga, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is going to be another punishingly long ride.  

It comes out in December and is supposed to be 3 hours +, according to recent reports. 

Considering how the first Avatar film clocked in at 162 minutes and its crushingly disappointing sequel Avatar: The Way of Water was already a butt-bruising 192 minutes, this is not surprising. But nor is it good news for those who are already sick of the impressive-style-over-substance Smurfs-meets-Pocahontas-in-spaaaaace saga, as well as for those who don’t possess the bladder of an ox and agree with Hitchcock when he said that “the length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.” 

Still, there are some updates that sound more promising.  

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Cameron shared what to expect from the new installment in the franchise. 

He noted that his goal isn’t to replicate what was done in the previous two films but instead to make “brave choices” that will surprise audiences. 

“It’s a tricky thing,” said Cameron. “We could be getting high on our own supply here, and everybody who looks at it (the new film) goes, ‘F***, that’s not what I signed up for.’ But if you’re not making brave choices, you’re wasting everybody’s time and money.” 

“That alone is not sufficient to create success, but it’s necessary,” he added. “You’ve got to break the mold every fricking time.” 

If the film defies audience expectations, we’re all in. But we’ve been burned before.  

Still, Cameron seems to be convinced that the third adventure will give audiences something they’ve never seen before.  

“We’ve got some really clever action set-pieces,” he added. “You can get your blood up in this movie. But what excites me as an artist who recently turned 70 and has kind of done all that stuff is not only the opportunity to get to do it again, but to get to a level of character and intrigue you haven’t seen before in an Avatar movie. We’ve doubled the number of shots finished at this stage of the game than we had on movie two (and) the films are about equal length. So that puts us well ahead of the curve, which is something I’ve never, frankly, experienced before. We’re getting to the point where we’re actually getting good at this”. 

Speaking of being burned, the third film is set to introduce a new, volcano-dwelling Na’vi clan, who will be the antagonists. Their leader, Varang, will be played by Oona Chaplin. When explaining the significance of the name of the movie, Cameron told Entertainment Weekly: “If you think of fire as hatred, anger, violence, that sort of thing, and ash is the aftermath.” 

2009’s Avatar is currently the highest-grossing film ever, earning $2.9 billion worldwide, according to IGN. Avatar: The Way of Water was released in 2022 and comes in at number three with $2.3 billion.  

Avatar: Fire and Ash is set for theatrical release on 19 December 2025. Three more Avatar movies are coming in the next six years. Avatar 4 will hit theaters in December 2029, followed by Avatar 5 in December 2031. 

Exhausted yet? Wait, there’s more.

More recently, Cameron confirmedplans for Avatar 6 and Avatar 7. However, it seems that he has ruled himself out of directing the sixth and seventh instalments.

“Every songcord must have a last bead,” says the character Jake. If only the same could be said about bloated franchises.

Additional sources • Empire Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, PEOPLE