James Cameron just gave some crucial information about the future of the Avatar franchise, specifically the making of Avatar 4, whose fate is in question following the shaky box-office performance of its predecessor, Avatar: Fire and Ash. During a press conference at the 53rd Saturn Awards this past Saturday, Cameron revealed a planned upgrade to a fan-favorite and the chances that the two planned sequels will see production.
Cameron confirmed the fate of Avatar 4 when a reporter asked a question about changes to future scripts based on audience feedback to its predecessors, to which Cameron said,
“Absolutely. To perfectly be clear, we haven’t made a decision to move forward. But should I do that, which I will say is likely, but not 100%, we will definitely learn from the lessons of all three films.”
Cameron also teased an extended role for Varang, the Mangkwan leader played by Oona Chaplin. Avatar: Fire and Ash saw her develop a complex entanglement with Quaritch and mysteriously vanishing after the final battle, leaving audiences questioning if she would be back for the fourth installment. Cameron seemingly confirmed she would be with his statement, explaining,
“From Fire and Ash, Varang may need to be written up a little bit moving forward. She kind of just took her place amongst all the others, because there are a lot of characters and plates spinning in the story. So, yeah, we might want to make her a little more [prominent]. But that’s good. That’s a good problem to have when people are really responding to an element.”
Cameron then went on to compare Varang’s character situation to Payakan, a fan-favorite in The Way of Water. The tulkun had a more prominent role in Fire and Ash due to positive audience reception, with Cameron describing,
“In The Way of Water, people really responded resoundingly to Payakan. He was literally the highest-rated character in the film. I didn’t tell the actors that. But it’s like, “I guess we better put Payakan into Fire and Ash.” You learn as you go forward. It’s evolving.”
While Fire and Ash has the lowest box office performance in the franchise, Cameron’s comments should be taken as a good sign for fans. The film still managed to gross $1.482 billion with a budget of around $350-400 million, which on paper should still be considered a major box office success. Considering these new comments, there is still hope for fans that Avatar 4 will arrive in theaters on December 21st, 2029, as originally scheduled.
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