James Cameron took us to a new world in Avatar: Dawn of Pandora. Together with Jake Sully (Sam Worthingon) we explore the alien planet and the jungle-dwelling Na’vi people for the first time. Having already been teased in the final battle of the first part, in “Avatar 2: The Way Of Water” we learn that there are many more Na’vi peoples, some of which differ significantly. In the first sequel, the world we already know is expanded and we are introduced to the Metkayina clan – the water Na’vi who live in a completely different ecosystem than the forest Na’vi known from the first part.
But this is clearly still far from the end of the road. For “avatar 3‘ has already been revealed that we now get to know the Fire Na’vi there. In addition to a completely different habitat (probably on mountains or around volcanoes), there is another big difference with them. Here we see the first really evil Na’vi. James Cameron now wants to show residents of Pandora in antagonistic roles.
More biomes for “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5”
But the forest, water and fire Na’vi are not over yet. That says producer Jon Landau to the magazine cheated is the plan to introduce audiences to a new biome i.e. a new ecosystem on Pandora in each film. Also in “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5”, the cinema audience gets to see “new clans and new cultures” on Pandora.
This is always associated with the introduction of new complex figures. In “Avatar: The Way Of Water” we got to know Kate Winslet and Cliff Curtis as clan leaders Ronal and Tonowari, as well as their daughter Tsireya (Bailey Bass). David Thewlis, known from the Harry Potter movies, joins the cast in “Avatar 3”. It is already known that he plays a Na’vi and has a major role. “Fast & Furious” star Vin Diesel also takes on a previously unknown role, speculated to be a Na’vi. Both could belong to the new Fire Na’vi. More stars should be released for “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5”.
But where is the possible problem announced in the title?
Will the “Avatar” series ever get too crowded?
As producer Jon Landau explains, new biomes and the new characters that come with them don’t mean saying goodbye to old ones – quite the contrary: “Once we introduce a character, it remains part of the ongoing development. We just wrap it up”said the producer. He also confirmed that Metkayina, introduced in “Avatar 2: The Way Of Water”, will also appear in “Avatar 3”, “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5”. It was even said about Kate Winslet’s Ronal that her character will be expanded and more important. And so it will be with the following new characters: “The new clans, which we introduce in the third film, you will of course see in film no. 4 and so on,” says Landau.
But that could also be a problem for a franchise that is already huge. “Avatar: The Way Of Water” runs for over three hours and some fans complain that despite this impressive running time, there wasn’t enough room for all the characters. The author of these lines is one of those fans who feel that Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) is not given enough space.
James Cameron had to experience how quickly his vision went out of scope. The plot of “Avatar 2” and “Avatar 3” was originally conceived for a single movie. It wasn’t until the writing process that you realized it was way too much and decided to split the story into two movies. The screenwriting duo of Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who are now responsible for both parts, recently confirmed this, revealing that the two films are therefore more closely linked than the rest of the sequels should be.
In addition, there are currently rumors that James Cameron has recorded enough material for an eight-hour movie about “Avatar 3”. Of course he will shorten it considerably, but in the end it wouldn’t be a surprise if the next sequel, set to start in 2024, is significantly longer than “The Way Of Water”. And what about “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5” if there really are many more worlds and characters, as Landau revealed – and there should even be a trip to Earth, as already revealed?
» “Avatar” on Disney+*
Will all this eventually become too much and too full? In any case, James Cameron faces the enormous task of not exaggerating with the length and at the same time giving all relevant characters enough space so that they can continue to come into their own. The future will show if and how he succeeds. “avatar 3‘ is scheduled for release in late December 2024, ‘avatar 4” and “avatar 5are currently scheduled for 2026 and 2028but according to hints from Cameron, it could be pushed back as he might need a little more time.
It will certainly remain exciting – on Pandora and in the cinema…