It could be out of the frying pan for Jake Sully and family in the next Avatar movie… (Picture: 20th Century Studios)
James Cameron has teased a new type of Na’vi for Avatar 3, in his first comments on the threequel following Avatar: The Way of Water’s release in December.
A new clan of Pandora’s native species will apparently reveal that they aren’t always so peaceful as a race and will be the first ‘negative’ example of the people.
The Way of Water, which is well on its way to the top tiers of record-breaking box office glory, introduced audiences to two different types of Na’vi – the forest-dwelling Omaticaya and the ocean-loving Metkayina.
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family are members of the Omaticaya tribe but find themselves seeking refuge with the Metkayina in the latest movies, who have even evolved differently to suit their swimming and sea needs.
Avatar 3 will look at another element, with the introduction of the Ash People ‘representing fire’, according to Cameron.
The writer-director revealed that the as-yet untitled movie, which is in post-production and scheduled for a December 2024 release, will show ‘different cultures from those I have already shown’ and that he plans ‘to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides’.
Sequel The Way of Water introduced a Na-vi tribe at one with the ocean (Picture: 20th Century Studios)
Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) of the Metkayina clan (Picture: 20th Century Studios)
He explained to French publication 20 Minutes, via Total Film: ‘In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3 we will do the opposite. We will also explore new worlds, while continuing the story of the main characters.’
‘I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal,’ he said.
As ever though, the Hollywood heavyweight added a note of caution, saying everything would ‘depend on how Avatar 2 is received, if it finds its audience’.
Ahead of The Way of Water’s release, the Titanic director – who has revealed he is in talks to reboot his iconic Terminator franchise – had admitted that the movie was ‘very f**king expensive’ to make and would have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history, just to break even (the first film is still at number one).
Cameron initially planned five Avatar films, with the third already shot (Picture: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock)
He also publicly stated that he would end the whole franchise early, after the already-filmed third instalment, if it became apparent that audiences no longer ‘give a s**t’.
He does have a total of five films planned.
Luckily, the film sailed past the $1,000,000,000 (£829,660,000) milestone at the global box office in late December, less than two week after its release.
It became the fastest movie to reach the coveted goal in 2022 – Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World Dominion also hit the mark.
Only a handful of films have taken in $1bn within two weeks of release – with 2019’s Spider-Man: No Way Home among them.
The Way of Water is now expecting to pass $1.5bn (£ 1.24bn) at the global box office, surpassing Top Gun as 2022’s highest-grossing release, and heading towards the top 10 of all time.
The original film, released over 13 years ago at the end of 2009, remains the most lucrative film in history, with a worldwide gross of over $2.9bn (£2.4bn).
Avatar: The Way of Water is in cinemas now.