New Avatar 3 Details Revealed, With Other Sequels to Include a Time Jump and More

Avatar producer Jon Landau has shared new details about Avatar 3 and its other potential sequels, including more about the fire Na’vi, the story’s time jumps, and their plans to visit Earth.

As reported by Variety, Landau sat down with Empire magazine to talk about what’s in store for the next three installments. He elaborated on James Cameron’s past comments about the fire Na’vi, aka the Ash People, revealing that they’ve already found the leader of this clan.

Landau confirmed that Oona Chaplin, the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, has been cast to as Varang, the chief of the “aggressive, volcanic race.” The Spanish-Swiss actress has starred in numerous movies and TV dramas, including HBO’s Game of Thrones.

“There are good humans and there are bad humans,” he 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.”

Cameron has already filmed scenes for Avatar 3 and 4 but previously pointed out that there will be a “big time jump” after the first act of the fourth movie. Landau confirmed that Avatar 5 would continue on the B side of that time jump, with a partial setting on Earth.

Landau told Empire “there’s over-population and a depletion of our natural resources that make life harder” in Avatar’s version of Earth, “but we don’t want to paint a bleak picture for where our world is going. The films are also about the idea that we can change course.”

Cameron previously indicated that the box office performance of The Way of Water and the as-yet-untitled Avatar 3 would determine whether the fourth and fifth Avatar movies end up getting made, explaining that they might “not go on endlessly” if it proves not to be profitable.

However, Avatar 2 hit $1 billion at the global box office in just 14 days, and it now also holds the title for the fourth highest-grossing film of all-time. This appears to mean that Avatar 3, 4, and 5 will all go forward, with tentative release dates set for 2024, 2026, and 2028.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.