Thanks to the success of Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron is focused on the sequels he’s officially committed to delivering. As Avatar 3 and parts of Avatar 4 are already being filmed, the road to the future is pretty well paved for these sci-fi movies. That’s the advantage of having your story written so far ahead, which producer Jon Landau has once again used to tease the franchise at large. The latest update hints at why Avatar 5 is heading to Earth.
Empire’s latest issue (via Variety) contains a talk with producer Jon Landau, who revealed some more details about Neytiri’s eventual voyage to Earth. The state of the planet is a key factor in what creator/director James Cameron’s overall message, which is confirmed in Landau’s remarks below:
There’s over-population and a depletion of our natural resources that make life harder. But we don’t want to paint a bleak picture for where our world is going.The films are also about the idea that we can change course.
We were reminded of the dire situation of Earth in Avatar: The Way of Water, as part of the film’s exposition revealed that the new focus of the RDA’s intentions for Pandora is colonization. Continuing to push forward the narrative that Jake Sully’s home planet isn’t quite as bountiful as it once was, the dialogue invoked the little bit of Earth we did see in 2009’s Avatar, mostly through deleted scenes that were added into the Special Edition version of the movie.
Current plans for the franchise see Avatar 5 as the potential finale, despite James Cameron starting to play with early plans for Avatar 6 and 7. If this is indeed the capstone entry in one of the highest grossing sagas of all time, a trip to the third rock from the Sun seems like an appropriate measure to help close things out properly. Just as Jake's eyes were opened to the plight of the Na'vi, Neytiri's visit to the wounded Earth could be the key to uniting humans and their interstellar neighbors once and for all.
2009's Avatar is currently streaming for those with a Disney+ subscription. While we don't have an ETA on when Avatar: The Way of Water will hit the platform, you can be sure it will be the eventual streaming home of all future installments.
While some are hoping that Avatar 3 will be released sooner than expected, at the very least, James Cameron has assured us that the wait shouldn’t be longer than two years after The Way of Water. So the current release date of December 20, 2024 is a pretty safe bet as the latest we’ll be seeing Jake Sully and his family return to the big screen. For a look at the movies arriving in theaters within the next year, our 2023 new movie releases schedule is all you need to keep your cinematic calendar sorted.
