“Avatar 3”: All About the Sequel Starring Zoe Saldaña and Sam Worthington

From the release date to the cast, here’s what we know so far about 'Avatar: 3'

Avatar 3 on its way to the big screen.

While delays put 13 years between Avatar and its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, it seems director James Cameron is trying to get subsequent films in theaters faster. In a December 2022 interview with Collider, producer Jon Landau revealed that the team has already shot "95%" of Avatar 3 and parts of Avatar 4.

Still, Cameron pointed out that he's still making changes to the third movie in a January 2023 interview on the Soundtracking with Edith Bowman podcast. In fact, he explained that he's using audience feedback from Avatar: The Way of Water to "tinker a little bit" with Avatar 3.

"For example, Lo'ak really emerged as a character that people went with," Cameron said, suggesting that Lo'ak would have a larger role in subsequent films before letting slip that the character would be the narrator in the third movie. "Oh, I'm giving something away here," he said.

While speaking to Deadline the same month, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, who plays Tuk, teased that the franchise "only gets better from here."

"I can't wait to see where our characters go, where Tuk goes," she added of the third movie. "We're gonna get to meet new clans of Na'vi and see new biomes of Pandora. [That's] probably all I can say."

From the cast to the plot, here's everything to know about Avatar 3.

What is Avatar 3 about?

While not much is known about the Avatar 3 story yet, Cameron told France's 20 Minutes that audiences should expect to see a new side of Pandora and the Na'vi with the "Ash People."

"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," the director said. "In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na'vi examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite."

Cameron also hinted at the plot of Avatar 3 during the Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 15, 2023. "Fire has a symbolic purpose in the film and there's a culture that is specifically around that concept. That's probably saying too much as we speak," he told Deadline.

The director continued, "You're going to meet two completely new cultures in the next film. We met the Omaticaya, we met the Metkayina, and you're going to meet two new cultures in the next film, and it kind of rove a little more freely around the world of Pandora to different places."

Weeks later, Landau spoke to Empire magazine about the aforementioned "Ash people," per Variety.

"There are good humans and there are bad humans," the producer said. "It's the same thing on the Na'vi side. Oftentimes, people don't see themselves as bad. What is the root cause of how they evolve into what we perceive as bad? Maybe there are other factors there that we aren't aware of."

Who is in the cast?

Many cast members from the first two movies are slated to return, including Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Zoe Saldaña (Neytiri), Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine), Joel David Moore (Norm Spellman), Jack Champion (Javier 'Spider' Socorro), Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch) and Britain Dalton (Lo'ak).

Meanwhile, fans should expect to see new faces, such as Game of Thrones alum Oona Chaplin. Chaplin will play Varang, the leader of the Ash People, which Empire magazine described as "an aggressive, volcanic race" of Na'vi.

How did Avatar: The Way of Water end?

In Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake and Neytiri have children and live on Pandora. However, humans soon attack the planet again, forcing Jake's family to seek safety with the Metkayina people, an oceanic clan.

Still, Jake, Neytiri and their children aren't in harm's way. At the film's end, humans are still a threat to Pandora and Colonel Miles Quaritch (Lang), whose memories have been implanted in a new avatar, is determined to get revenge on Jake.

Who is directing Avatar 3?

Cameron, who directed Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, is directing the film. The Hollywood legend has directed other box office hits such as Titanic and The Terminator.

Where was Avatar 3 filmed?

Avatar 3 was filmed in New Zealand. The New Zealand Film Commission, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga, said that the Avatar franchise has supported thousands of New Zealand jobs over the years.

When will Avatar 3 be released?

Avatar 3 was originally set to be released in theaters on Dec. 20, 2024, but was later pushed back to Dec. 19, 2025.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.