Zoe Saldaña reacts to the Avatar franchise concluding in 2031: 'Great! I'm gonna be 53'
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Zoe Saldaña is in for the long haul.
The actress, who first introduced the world to Na'vi warrior Princess Neytiri in 2009's Avatar, just got word that she'll be wearing blue makeup for many years to come. Yesterday, Disney revealed its reshuffled movie release calendar, which delayed all three Avatar sequels by many years — extending the franchise into 2031.
"Great," Saldaña wrote in her Instagram stories, alongside a screenshot of the news. "I'm gonna be 53 when the last Avatar comes out. I was 27 when I shot the very first Avatar."
Twentieth Century Fox Neytiri and Jake Sully in 2009's 'Avatar.'
While Avatar 3 was only pushed back by a single year, moving from Dec. 20, 2024, to Dec. 19, 2025, the final two installments in the franchise were delayed by a few years. Avatar 4 went from Dec. 18, 2026 to Dec. 21, 2029, while Avatar 5 moved from Dec. 22, 2028 to Dec. 19, 2031. If the Avatar movies stay the course of this slate, then the franchise will conclude after a whopping 26-year journey. Director James Cameron will be 77 when the final Avatar movie hits theaters. As for Saldaña's costar Sam Worthington, who plays Neytiri's husband, Jake Sully, he will be 55.
On the bright side, the young actors portraying their children won't have aged as dramatically. Cameron previously told EW that he took precautions to avoid what he calls "the Stranger Things effect." Cameron made sure that the second and third film, as well as the first act of the fourth, were shot at the same time.
"Otherwise, you get — and I love Stranger Things — but you get the Stranger Things effect," Cameron explained. "Where they're supposed to still be in high school [but] they look like they're 27. You know, I love the show. It's okay, we'll suspend disbelief. We like the characters, but, you know."
Cameron once said that he was content to end the franchise after three movies, if audiences didn't turn out for Avatar: The Way of Water. But following its release, the much-anticipated sequel crossed milestone after milestone, eventually becoming the third-highest-grossing movie of all time. This development also marked a record for Saldaña, who made box office history as the first actor to star in four of the highest-grossing films of all time.
2009's Avatar, 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, 2019's Avengers: Endgame, and 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water have all crossed the $2 billion mark at the box office. If the Avatar sequels follow suit (and a competitor doesn't arise), then Saldaña could keep breaking her own record with each new release.
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