Disney has officially locked in release dates for the next two ‘Avatar’ sequels.
The studio announced that ‘Avatar 4’ will arrive in theaters on December 21, 2029, with ‘Avatar 5’ following on December 19, 2031. The news comes as ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ continues its theatrical run, though questions remain about whether the films will actually move forward.
Director James Cameron, now 71, would be approaching 80 by the time the fifth installment wraps production.
In a recent interview with Taiwanese outlet TVBS News, he revealed that the sequels’ fate hinges on both the box office performance of ‘Fire and Ash’ and finding a more cost-effective production approach.
Speaking about Michelle Yeoh‘s potential involvement in future films, Cameron said:
“Michelle is definitely going to be in 4, if we make 4. Here’s the thing: the movie industry is depressed right now. Avatar 3 cost a lot of money. We have to do well in order to continue. We have to do well and we need to figure out how to make Avatar movies more inexpensively in order to continue.”
The filmmaker confirmed that, like ‘The Way of Water’ and ‘Fire and Ash,’ parts 4 and 5 would be filmed together as one cohesive story. Yeoh is set to play a performance capture Na’vi character named Paktu’eylat in both films.
‘Fire and Ash’ has grossed $1.231 billion globally after four weekends, trailing both predecessors at the same point in their runs. Cameron previously admitted he’s “absolutely” ready to walk away from the franchise if the third film underperforms, stating, “If this is where it ends, cool.”
Still, the box office figures aren’t too shabby at all.