Moviegoers will have the chance to check in with Pandora when Avatar: Fire and Ash opens in theaters as part of the 2025 movie schedule. Director and co-writer James Cameron and co. have been hyping up the third installment in the high-grossing science fiction series. Nevertheless, they’ve been careful not to divulge too much. What Cameron did just reveal, though, is that the film will utilize omitted ideas from its predecessor, The Way of Water. But his comments on the runtime are what really have attention.
As those familiar with James Cameron’s movies probably know, he doesn’t necessarily shy away from crafting long motion pictures, and Avatar franchise is no different. The first film has a runtime of 2 hours and 42 minutes, while its follow-up clocks in at a whopping 3 hours and 12 minutes. Believe it or not, the latter flick could’ve been longer, but Cameron and his co-writers opted to make some changes on that front:
In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2. The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren’t drilling down enough on character. So I said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to split it.
Based on what the Oscar-winning filmmaker shared with Empire Magazine, the material that was cut was mostly related to spectacle. The Way of Water is a packed film as is, and I’d say that the Titanic helmer and his colleagues were right to “split” the ideas between two films. With that, the sequel didn’t have to suffer from even more bloat, and viewers still get to see those concepts in Fire and Ash. Speaking of that third film, the director teased the runtime, and fans may want to make a mental note of this:
Movie 3 will actually be a little bit longer than movie 2.
Whew, considering that the threequel will have a somewhat longer length than its predecessor, fans may want to brace themselves. I’m confident that the movie will be enjoyable like the first two, but that’s a lot of film. Honestly, though, if a movie is entertaining enough, I’ll gladly sit through it. Of course, I just have to be sure that I – like anyone else – just have to plan my bathroom breaks as needed.
As it stands, Fire and Ash is in post-production, and James Cameron has been providing some excellent updates. Considering that this is the franchise’s third film, Cameron says the creative process has been “less nightmarish” for him and his team. He also revealed that some people have already seen Avatar 3 and that the responses have been “the most emotional and maybe the best of the three so far.” That’s saying a lot, especially given how much happens in Way of Water.
The teases that have been shared thus far give the impression that Jake, Neytiri and the rest of the Sully family are in for quite an adventure. And it’s sure to be dangerous as well, considering the inclusion of the “evil Na’vi” known as the Ash clan. I look forward to seeing the movie and subsequently learning what exactly James Cameron held over for it script-wise. Also, given the long run time, I’ll be sure that I find a theater with quality screens and sound systems but also one that has comfy seats.
Avatar: Fire and Ash will be released theatrically on December 19. In the meantime, stream the first two films using a Disney+ subscription.
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