We thought the film was finished. However, the third opus of the “Avatar” saga will require additional scenes to be filmed. Director James Cameron and actor Sam Worthington are leaving shortly for reshoots.
On January 10, Sam Worthington declared to People magazine that he was preparing to resume filming Avatar without specifying whether these were reshoots for Avatar 3 or the resumption of filming for the fourth part.
Last December, James Cameron had in fact indicated that he had already canned scenes from Avatar 4 in order to maintain temporal continuity on the screen in the age of the characters, particularly the youngest.
During the Saturn Awards ceremony held this weekend, the director clarified his actor’s statements at the microphone of Screen Rant. The filmmaker said that much of the technology required for the entire film franchise was in place and that there were going to be some reshoots for the third film.
Additional plans for ‘Avatar 3’
“Avatar 3 is almost finished. We’re shooting additional shots for this, which is just the last 2 or 3 percent of the film, and we’re filming live-action shots in June.”
He adds : “About a quarter of the fourth film is already in the can. We are in post-production on Avatar 3 and we are working on the visual effects, which is a huge amount of work. I’ll need every second between now and the release to finish it.
I’ll need every second between now and the release to manage to finish it.
It’s not about technology, it’s about the minds and eyes of computer artists. It’s a very creative process – it’s art. Thousands of people are involved and directing the orchestra to perfect everything right now.“
Filming in New Zealand
Filming additional scenesAvatar 3 will therefore begin shortly in New Zealand. James Cameron should then no longer leave the editing room and the digital effects specialists so that the feature film led by Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet and Stephen Lang is ready for release scheduled for December 17, 2025.
Released in theaters in December 2022, Avatar: The Way of Water grossed $2.3 billion worldwide. It is the third biggest success in history behind Avatar and Avengers: Endgame. Avatar 4 and 5 are already planned for 2029 and 2031.