According to director James Cameron, Avatar 4's timeline jump after Avatar: Fire and Ash will be even longer than initially expected. After Cameron delivers the longest movie in franchise history this December, the box office king will continue the story of Pandora and its massive blue residents.
Avatar: Fire and Ash director James Cameron confirmed that Avatar 4 will take place about eight years after its predecessor. Via Vanity Fair, Cameron spoke about the filming process for the middle three movies in his five-film plan. The team "worked for 18 months" on 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water and the new 2025 threequel, which totaled "about nine months of capture" on each. However, everything was mixed together, including some work on the fourth movie, which he says pushes the characters "forward in age about eight years:"
"All the actors worked for 18 months. This isn't like rocking up to a lectern, and in two days, doing an entire voice part for an animated film, Pixar animated film. Everything you see those characters do, the actors did. It took 18 months to do the two movies. So, about nine months of capture for each film. But it was intermixed. We'd do 'Avatar 2' scene one day, and a '3' scene the next day. Even some stuff on '4.' 'Cause all the characters jumped forward in age about eight years between the end of '3' and start of '4.'
He explained the decision to film that material now, saying "the kids wouldn't be kids anymore" when production on the fourth movie picks up. On top of that, Cameron looked at the upcoming release for Fire and Ash, pointing out that he and the team have to "make some money on the first three" before moving forward.
Previously, fans believed Avatar 4 would jump ahead about six years from the end of Avatar 3, adding a few years to that expected gap in the timeline. This comes after a gap of only a few weeks between Avatar 2 and Avatar 3, and the first two movies had a much longer, approximately 15-year gap between them.
Cameron is prepping for the worldwide release of Avatar: Fire and Ash on Friday, December 19. He will then go back to work on Avatar 4, which does not have an official title and is scheduled to arrive on the big screen on December 21, 2029. As of writing, no plot details have been revealed for Avatar 4.
What To Make of Avatar 4's Timeline Jump
Considering that Avatar 4 will take place nearly a quarter-century after the original Avatar, Jake Sully, Neytiri, and their expansive family and supporting cast will be in a much different place in this film. While the start of the movie will depict Jake and Neytiri's kids at the same age as they are in Avatar 3, the second half will significantly age them up, showing them as young adults on Pandora.
Lo'ak (the confirmed narrator for Avatar: Fire and Ash) will be in his early 20s by that time, as will Sigourney Weaver's Kiri, the biological daughter of Grace Augustine's Na'vi avatar. Meanwhile, the Sullys' youngest daughter, Tuk, will be a teenager by that time, and she is sure to have plenty of action and drama lined up in this next installment.
Meanwhile, Jake and Neytiri will be in their late 30s and early 40s by that time, continuing to lead the Omaitikaya people toward their next challenges. This will also come after Jake reportedly retakes his position as Toruk Makto in Avatar 3, once again riding the great leonopteryx into battle and uniting the Na'vi behind him.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
