Producer Jon Landau confirmed that the majority of the first act of Avatar 4 has finished filming.
In a press conference during the Busan International Film Festival, Landau answered a question by Variety that discussed the filming and design of the fourth installment in the Avatar franchise. "We’ve completed most of the first act of Avatar 4 and there were logistical reasons why we needed to do that," Landau said. "We’ve designed most of the whole movie for Avatar 4 but we haven’t actually filmed all of it – just the first act." While the film is set to release in 2026, filming began as early as 2017.
Landau also explained why the Avatar films have taken so long to be made, noting that the advances in technology were required to bring the world to life. "We could not have delivered what people saw today, five years ago, eight years ago, nine years ago," Landau said. "We needed the time to take it to the level that we’re able to deliver to people today."
15 minutes of Avatar: The Way of Water was shown at the film festival. Director James Cameron also appeared via video during the sold-out event and discussed the sequel’s underlying message about ecology and how the film had a high-frame-rate projection. Landau further highlighted how important inclusivity is to Avatar films.
Avatar Is Moving Quickly
While discussing the future of the franchise, Landau further revealed that every sequel would introduce new and unique parts to Pandora's growing world "With each sequel, we’re going to introduce audiences to new cultures and new biomes. We don’t leave behind the cultures that we’ve met," Landau said.
Avatar 4 is co-written by James Cameron and Armageddon co-writer, Shane Salerno. The film will see Sam Worthington reprise his role as Jake Sulley along with Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri. Other returning cast members include Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch and Sigourney Weaver in a new role as a young child.
Directed by Cameron, Avatar was released in 2009 to global acclaim. The science-fiction film was particularly praised for its striking visual effects and storytelling. It went on to earn over $2.8 billion at the box office and became the highest-grossing film of all time. Four sequels were announced, the first of which, Avatar: The Way of Water, is slated to release in theaters on Dec. 16.
Source: Variety