Making Avatar movies seems stressful. With all that high-end technology, much of it experimental, a huge cast, and having to live up to two box office sensations, it must be tiring to be James Cameron. It sure sounds like it in his latest interview, anyway.
Right now, the latest Avatar sequel is well underway. As Cameron puts it, Avatar 3 is in post-production. But unlike many of the best science fiction movies, that section of the process will be years long due to the fidelity and standard Cameron wants to achieve for the Na’vi and Pandora. The returning Avatar 2 cast have already filmed a lot of their material, now it’s in the esteemed director’s hands.
“We’re into a very hectic two years of post-production right now,” he says during a press conference in New Zealand, per 1News. “So it’ll be Christmas of 2025.”
Cameron’s been making New Zealand home for over a decade now. He uses the production house Weta FX, co-founded by Peter Jackson, for the Avatar franchise since the first one, and the new movies have been making ample use of those resources.
There was a 13 year delay between the first Avatar and the sequel, The Way of Water, which Cameron will want to avoid. Thankfully, a lot of that time was used essentially inventing the filmmaking tools he needed to complete his vision, since he incorporated elements such as literally filming underwater.
Not that the gap impacted Avatar 2 any, since it still made a nigh-incomprehensible amount of money at the box office, jumping straight into the highest-grossing movies of all time. Rest assured, Avatar 3 is very likely to do the same, but in order to do that, Cameron has to maintain trajectory and deliver the same quality fans expect.
I wouldn’t be too worried – he’s one of the best directors when it comes to big screen spectacle. The man has delivered banger after banger since The Terminator, and he’s become synonymous with ruling cineplexes the world over. I just hope everyone he’s working with is able to get the work done without burning themselves out.
Avatar 3, starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, and a laundry list more, will hit cinemas on December 19, 2025. In the meantime, check out our guides to the upcoming Marvel movies and new Star Wars movies, since you’ll have those to entertain you while you wait.