There was a time when filmmaker James Cameron's five-movie plan for the Avatar franchise seemed a sure thing. After all, the fourth and fifth instalments were dated for 2029 and 2031, but things changed when Avatar: Fire and Ash "only" grossed $1.4 billion worldwide.
Following the runaway success of Avatar ($2.9 billion) and Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.3 billion), Disney was concerned with the threequel's performance, and is now looking for Cameron to make his sequels "cheaper and shorter" (whether he's on board with that is another matter).
The Direct recently spoke with Tuk actress Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, who revealed how much of Avatar 4 she's shot. Bliss also confirmed reports that a time jump is planned for the sci-fi series following the N'avi's latest victory over the RDA.
"We filmed like a first little section of it, and that's before this epic time jump, which is gonna really expand this story from the characters' plans, ecosystems of Pandora," she teased. "We barely touched the tip of the iceberg for what we know about this world, and these characters, and how deep they can go."
"So, I really hope we get to continue it. But yeah, we filmed a wee, little bit, and I do remember it well. Actually, even though I was nine, because it was a time jump type thing. I am now 16. Isn't that kind of insane?"
"I do know how many we have," Bliss continued. "I guess that's the cool thing, because 'The Way of Water' and 'Fire and Ash' were made in mind with '[Avatar] 4' and '5,' and it's a whole story that I just hope we get to finish, because 'The Way of Water' and 'Fire and Ash' are basically one story, and '4' and '5' are going to be a whole 'nother thing, a whole next chapter."
It's previously been reported that around 22% (a surprisingly specific number) of the fourth chapter is already in the can. And, while Cameron enlisted Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver to write the second and third movies, he tasked Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno with shaping four and five.
Can Cameron make his Avatar sequels for less money and with shorter runtimes? And will he even want to? That's the big question right now, but it may be possible when those next instalments are "said to be as radically different from 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' as 'Star Wars' was from 'The Empire Strikes Back.'"
Cameron has been transparent about not allowing another director to continue the Avatar franchise without him, and has even thrown around the idea of finishing his Pandora story in book form. There's still plenty of time between now and Avatar 4's previously announced December 21, 2029, release date, but whether it will meet that is TBD.
Stay tuned for updates on the Avatar franchise as we have them.