Many fans are now looking forward to the release of Avatar 3, following the undeniable success of Avatar: The Way of Water movie that expanded the franchise's universe and sparked several ideas about what future sequels will look like. The forthcoming third installment is expected to continue the epic saga of Na'vi and Pandora and tackle the conflict between Colonel Miles Quaritch and Jake Sully and Neytiri's clan.
The success of Avatar: The Way of Water also meant that all the planned sequels – Avatar 3, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 – have been given the green light. However, shortly after the release of the second installment on June 7, Disney divulged that Avatar 3 had been delayed by one year to December 2025, and both Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 had been delayed by three years each.
In 2018, BBC leaked the potential title for the upcoming Avatar sequels, and the third movie was called Avatar: The Seed Bearer though that has not officially been confirmed. As fans await the next adventure to Pandora, we are sharing everything we know about Avatar 3 so far.
Avatar 3 Release Date: When Will Avatar: The Seed Bearer Hit The Theaters?
For starters, Avatar 3 was initially set to be released in cinemas on December 20, 2024. However, it has been delayed a year to December 19, 2025.
It was filmed simultaneously with Avatar: The Way of Water, which means shooting has been completed already. Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 were filmed from September 2017 to December 2020. Even so, reports suggested that a lot of post-production work needs to be done on the imminent third installment.
Of the delay, producer Jon Landau stated:
"Each Avatar film is an exciting but epic undertaking that takes time to bring to the quality level we as filmmakers strive for and audiences have come to expect.”
Meanwhile, American actress Sigourney Weaver divulged in May 2023 that there are some "pickups" to the movie. She told Screenrant:
"I don't think there are whole new scenes to be shot. I think it's going to be refining what [James Cameron's] got now that he's closing in on the edit, because he always has too much material. He loves to shoot. I wouldn't even begin to guess of what we might be doing, but I think it's just maybe going back to a couple of moments and giving him some footage that he didn't get the way he wants to.”
Avatar 3 Cast: Who Are Returning In Avatar: The Seed Bearer?
Since it has been made known that Avatar 3 was filmed at the same time as the first sequel, fans are aware of some confirmed returns for the next installment. Of course, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña are returning to portray Jake Sully and Neytiri, respectively.
Avatar 2 introduced fans to the extended Sully family. However, they will reportedly be missing a member in Avatar 3 since Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) was shot and killed during the dramatic climax of The Way of Water movie.
Fortunately, other Sully family members made it. So, fans will again see Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as Tuktirey and Britain Dalton as Lo'ak. Jack Champion will also return as Miles "Spider" Socorro, a Pandora-born human who was later revealed to be the son of Quaritch.
Stephen Lang will also be back as Colonel Miles Quaritch, with Cliff Curtis as Metkayina leader Tonowari, Kate Winslet as Ronal, Bailey Bass as Tsireya and Brendan Cowell as Mick Scoresby. The newcomers joining the Avatar 3 cast include Game of Thrones star Oona Chaplin as Varang, Michelle Yeoh as Dr. Karina Mogue and David Thewlis in a yet-to-be-revealed role.
Avatar 3 Plot: What Will Avatar: The Seed Bearer Be About?
Though the official synopsis for Avatar 3 has not been released yet, the second movie did drop hints about what the imminent third movie will be about. To recall, in his closing voiceover, Jake was gearing himself up for a major stand against the RDA to protect his family.
In December 2021, producer Jon Landau explained:
“At the center of each of our sequels is the Sully family. What are the dynamics that parents go through to protect their family?”
Reports are also rife that Jake will be stepping away from the narration in Avatar 3. James Cameron, as per DigitalSpy, confirmed that Lo'ak would take over narration for the third movie, with other characters narrating in Avatar 4 and Avatar 5.
Of all the sequels, the film director added:
"It's more like episodic television in the sense that the characters are the characters. The characters have their problems, and those problems will persist, and they'll get resolved over multiple films. But the specific threat of the specific moment will always be resolved. And that's our motif that we applied to these films."
Fans are also expected to know Kiri's father in Avatar 3 and answer why she has a close bond with Eywa to the point that she can control Pandora's flora and fauna. Writers Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa previously shared with Variety that there was "too much material" for the sequel, so it was divided into two movies.
In other words, viewers could expect that Avatar 3 would be closely linked to Avatar 2. Meanwhile, actor Jack Champion previously teased the upcoming third installment and revealed that he was "very shocked" by the story when he first read the script.
The Avatar star told The Hollywood Reporter:
"It just takes a hard left turn, and that's not a bad thing. You think you know where it's going, but then a wrecking ball comes. So you're completely like: 'Oh wow, I never thought that would've happened.’ You also see more regions of Pandora, and you get introduced to more cultures. So I think it's even better than Avatar 2. Collectively, they'll each get better."
Avatar 3 Trailer: Is the trailer already out?
Sadly, no official Avatar 3 trailer has been released as of this writing. Unless James Cameron has a surprise for the third installment's release, fans might wait until 2024 to see anything.
Stay tuned to EpicFlix for the latest news and updates about Avatar 3!
