Avatar 4 has technically already been confirmed by Disney, with James Cameron having a four-movie plan for the sequels since before Avatar: The Way of Water was released. However, in recent weeks, the filmmaker has adjusted expectations for fans by saying that it’s not a guarantee that a fourth movie will happen.
“I have no doubt in my mind that [Avatar: Fire and Ash] will make money. The question is, does it make enough money to justify doing it again? If this is where it ends, cool. There’s one open thread, I’ll write a book,” he said in late November 2025, despite the fact that the first act of the movie has been filmed already.
We don’t know yet whether Avatar: Fire and Ash has made enough money to justify a return to Pandora, but let’s assume for now that it does. So here’s everything you need to know about Avatar 4.
Avatar 4 release date: When can we expect Avatar 4 in cinemas?
Avatar 4 currently has a confirmed release date of 21 December 2029, having been delayed from its original 18 December 2026 release in June 2023. The fifth movie is set to follow on 19 December 2031.
As mentioned above, some filming has already been done on the fourth movie because it’s planned to have a time jump, meaning they wanted to get the filming done for the first act with the younger cast at the same time as the second and third movies were filmed.
“We did the capture on three and the live-action photography on three as an intermingled production with [Avatar: The Way of Water], and we even did part of movie four because our young characters are all going to have a big time jump in movie four,” Cameron told People.
“We see them and then we go away for six years and we come back. And so the part where we come back is the part we haven’t shot yet. So we’ll start on that after three is released.”
Cameron is set to direct Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, assuming that the two movies happen. But there’s not a guarantee that he’ll immediately go to work on the fourth movie, even if it is confirmed in the coming months.
“There’s an argument, in wild success, for us just launching and just going straight into [Avatar 4 and 5] and I figure out a production methodology where I have a bit of a hiatus where I can make another film. And there’s another argument that says just go make those two damn movies and figure everything else out when I’m 80,” he told Variety.
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Avatar 4 cast: Who’s coming back for Avatar 4?
Given that we know filming has been done with the younger cast for Avatar 4, that means we can expect to see the likes of Britain Dalton (Lo’ak), Jack Champion (Spider), Jamie Flatters (Neteyam), Trinity Jo-Li Bliss (Tuk) and Bailey Bass (Reya) in the next movie.
As for the rest of the cast, nothing has been confirmed so all we can go on is who’s still alive at the end of Avatar: Fire and Ash. In order to do so, we need to go into spoilers, so don’t read on if you haven’t seen the movie yet.
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Avatar: Fire and Ash largely passes without casualties, but there is a couple of major deaths in the finale. First, Ronal (Kate Winslet) dies after being fatally injured in the battle, but does manage to give birth before she passes away.
We then also see Quaritch (Stephen Lang) sacrifice himself to save Spider as he seemingly falls to his death. Of course, Quaritch has died before so we don’t think this is a guarantee that we won’t see the recombinant version of Quaritch in the next movie.
“Presuming there is another stage to Quaritch’s journey, I would certainly be up for taking it. This has been an extremely rewarding project to be part of and, whatever happens, Avatar is part of my life for the rest of my life,” Lang told Digital Spy of a potential return.
Everybody else of note survives, so we can expect to see the usual cast back, including Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Zoe Saldaña (Neytiri), Sigourney Weaver (Kiri), Giovanni Ribisi (Parker Selfridge), Jemaine Clement (Dr Ian Garvin) and more.
Avatar: Fire and Ash also introduced Oona Chaplin’s Varang, leader of the Ash People, and she’ll likely return too, alongside fellow Avatar newcomer David Thewlis as Peylak, leader of the Wind Traders.
We also already know that Michelle Yeoh will finally make her debut in the series as Dr Karina Mogue, having already filmed scenes for the next movie – assuming it gets confirmed, that is.
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Avatar 4 plot: How does Avatar 3 set up the next movie?
Rather than leave on a cliffhanger for the next movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash is a culmination of the story set up by the sequel. By the end, the RDA has been defeated (again) by the Na’vi, Quaritch has died (again) and the Sullys are firmly a part of the Metkayina clan.
The one plot thread that could be picked up that has significance for the future is that Spider can now breathe on Pandora without oxygen. It’s Kiri who saves his life and the fact a human can now breathe on Pandora obviously caught the attention of the RDA, who are still attempting to colonise the planet.
So we definitely haven’t seen the last of them, or even the last of Spider’s father Quaritch, but it’s unclear exactly how Avatar 4 will pick up this thread, if it even does. It will tell a new story though, one spread across two movies like how Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash told one complete story.
“The end of three brings you to the end of a story arc for the Sully family. A whole new arc starts in four and five,” Cameron told the Crew Call podcast. “If I do get to make 4 and 5, that becomes one new kind of epic story.”
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Avatar 4 trailer: Any Avatar 4 footage yet?
Sadly not. Even though some filming has been done for the first act of the movie, we’re a long way from seeing anything from Avatar 4. The first trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash didn’t arrive until July 2025, five months before the movie’s release.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is out now in cinemas. Avatar 4 is scheduled for release on 21 December 2029.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
