After over a decade of waiting, James Cameron’s Avatar franchise finally returned to theaters with The Way of Water. As the title suggests, we learned about a new tribe of Na’vi residing on Pandora: the reef people known as the Metkayina. The third movie is already in the can, and James Cameron recently spoke about his plans for Avatar 3, including some potentially evil Na’vi.
Na’vi, aka the giant blue humanoid creatures that occupy Pandora, have intrigued audiences since the first Avatar movie hit theaters back in 2009. And between the reef people in The Way of Water and those crazy animatronics at Disney parks, that hasn’t slowed down. And it sounds like we will be getting more insidious Na’vi in the upcoming threequel. James Cameron recently spoke to the French publication 20 Minutes (via CinemaBlend’s sister site GamesRadar), where he was asked about what he was excited to bring to future sequels. The iconic filmmaker responded with:
Different cultures from those I have already shown. The fire will be represented by the 'Ash People.' I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides.
Well, color me intrigued. While at first it seemed like the Na’vi were one type of culture, it’s clear that there are all different tribes throughout Pandora. And while the first two movies featured tribes that were gentle and kind, that seemingly won’t be the cast for the Ash People in Avatar 3. Is it December of 2024 yet?
James Cameron’s comments about Ash People and his plans for the Na’vi show how methodically the Titanic filmmaker has approached his work on the Avatar franchise. He’s ultimately got a five-film story planned, although that would depend on how well sequels like The Way of Water perform at the box office. And I’m fascinated to see various Na’vi tribes going to battle and having an antagonist relationship for the first time in the franchise.
Later in that same interview, James Cameron further explained his plans for the Na’vi in future Avatar movies, especially the upcoming threequel. That movie is already in the can, as he filmed the second and third movies back to back. He spoke about about his vision for the Na’vi in future installments, saying:
In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite. We will also explore new worlds, while continuing the story of the main characters. I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal. But, obviously, everything will depend on how Avatar 2 is received, if it finds its audience.
That sounds pretty exciting. While the first two Avatar movies were mostly about the Na’vi and native creatures facing off against the RDA, it sounds like James Cameron will flip that on its head with the upcoming threequel. And while that’s mind-blowing enough, he thinks the final two movies will be the best of the lot. Let’s just hope that they actually come to fruition.
Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now and raking up the dough. Check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a whole other year for Avatar 3, even though it’s already been filmed.
