When is the Avatar 3 release date? Avatar 2 hit theaters in 2022, over a decade after the original, and like most James Cameron movies, it’s brilliant.
Avatar 2 was the first of four new movies planned in the universe, and the sprawling family tale was one of 2022’s best science fiction movies. It reignited global interest in the Na’vi and Pandora, setting the stage for the rest of Cameron’s mega-franchise. With the third installment on the way, here’s everything you need to know. Warning: minor spoilers ahead!
What is the Avatar 3 release date?
Avatar 3 will be released on Friday, December 19, 2025.
That is right, folks, we don’t have to wait more than a decade for another trip to Pandora! That’s because Avatar 3 was filmed alongside Avatar 2. However, saying that the new movie still needs tons of time and attention until it’s ready for the big screen.
Originally, Avatar 3 was set to release on December 20, 2024. Sadly, producer Jon Landau explained that more time was needed to complete the film due to the demands of the extensive visual effects work. In December 2023, James Cameron confirmed during a press conference in New Zealand (via Variety) that the film was still in post-production and that the whole process was “hectic.”
Hopefully, things will go smoothly with post-production, and there won’t be any more delays. We’ll keep you posted as more news heads our way!
Who’s in the Avatar 3 cast?
The confirmed Avatar 3 cast includes:
- Sam Worthington as Jake Sully
- Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri
- Sigourney Weaver as Kiri
- Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch
- Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge
- Kate Winslet as Ronal
- Cliff Curtis as Tonowari
- Joel David Moore as Dr. Norm Spellman
- CCH Pounder as Mo’at
- Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore
- Brendan Cowell as Captain Mick Scoresby
- Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin
- Britain Dalton as Lo’ak
- Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as Tuk
- Jack Champion as Miles “Spider” Socorro
- Bailey Bass as Reya
- Filip Geljo as Ao’nung
- Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel
- Matt Gerald as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
- David Thewlis as Peylak
- Oona Chaplin as Varang the leader of the “Ash People” clan
- Michelle Yeoh as Dr. Karina Mogue
Good news for space whale fans Payakan the Tulkun is back too.
What will Avatar 3 be about?
Avatar 3 will pick up where The Way of Water ended, with the threat of a full-scale human invasion of Pandora. Thankfully, the Sullys have been accepted into the water tribe, so they’ll have allies in the war.
If you remember the Avatar 2 ending, you know there’s also the threat of Colonel Quaritch. He’s still out there, but did anyone else think they were setting up his redemption arc? If this gets followed up on, it could be a core part of the plot.
Turning to romance, there’s the blossoming relationship between Lo’ak and Reya, and we know that we’re going to get the future of the franchise from Lo’ak’s perspective because Cameron revealed that the narrator’s position will switch from Jake to his son.
We also know that the fan-favorite whale creature Payakan and his nemesis, Mick Scorseby, will both return. Scoresby will likely be even more dangerous than before and bent on revenge since Payakan caused him to lose an arm in The Way of Water’s action-packed finale.
Cameron has also confirmed the addition of a third Na’vi clan, the Ash People, and it sounds like they might not be very friendly at first. We expect them to play a big part in the story and introduce another element of the Na’vi tribes: fire.
Is there an Avatar 3 trailer?
We should get a first teaser for Avatar 3 by mid-2025 and a full trailer a couple of months before the December 2025 release date.
If you want to revisit the world of Pandora while we wait for a trailer, you can check out the below featurette on how they went about making The Way of Water and brought the characters back to life after all these years. Cameron is a maestro.
Where can I watch Avatar 3?
Avatar 3 will play in cinemas exclusively from December 19, 2025. It’ll become available on demand sometime later.
Expect big IMAX screens and plenty of fanfare! If 3 is anything like the previous films, it will have legs at the box office and become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2025. That typically means the digital VOD release will be a little later than usual, as studios want to maximize ticket sales.
After the purchase and rental window ends on platforms like Prime Vidoe, Disney Plus will be the place to stream Avatar 3 — find it next to the service’s other best movies when the time comes.
What’s the Avatar 3 title?
Cameron has revealed he’s considering ‘The Seed Bearer’ as the Avatar 3 title.
That’s intriguing and very ambiguous. The Seed Bearer could be a role in Na’Vi culture, or it might be a reference to Jake Sully and his family. Either way, it keeps the door open for the plot to go anywhere.
How many Avatar movies will there be?
Four Avatar sequels were confirmed after the first movie, though Cameron has alluded to having plans for Avatar 6 and 7.
Avatar 4 is set to release on December 29, 2029, and Avatar 5 is due on December 19, 2031. Essentially, this franchise could be going on until we’re all too old to get ourselves to the theaters. Regarding the plans for 6 and 7, these are only in Cameron’s mind. He’s also mentioned that should the franchise continue to grow, he may pass the baton over to another director.
“Obviously, I’m not going to be able to make Avatar movies indefinitely, the amount of energy required,” he said [via The Hollywood Reporter]. “I would have to train somebody how to do this because, I don’t care how smart you are as a director, you don’t know how to do this.”
That’s everything we know about Avatar 3 so far. If you enjoyed returning to Pandora as much as we did, then you’re in luck; why don’t you check out our Avatar 2 review and guide on everyone who dies in Avatar 2?
Or check out our explainer on what happened to Jake Sully’s human body at the end of Avatar and see how Matt Damon lost $250m when he turned down Avatar.
Finally, you can read our list of the best James Cameron movies of all time and the best action movies ever made if you want more stellar recommendations.