Avatar: The Way of Water is just the first sequel in the Avatar franchise. James Cameron has previously stated that he could make many more Avatar sequels (he’s mentioned going up to Avatar 7). Cameron said that if Avatar: The Way of Water fails, the Avatar sequels would be cancelled, and Avatar 3 would serve as the finale to the franchise.

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In an interview with Deadline at Avatar 2’s Los Angeles premiere, Landau revealed that the third Avatar has already been filmed. For ’logistical purposes,’ he explained, the opening act of Avatar 4 has already been filmed. This is because, according to Landau, Avatar 4 will feature a time jump, and the child actors in the movie had to be filmed while they were still “the right age.”

Cameron’s previous comments about Avatar 3 serving as a possible end to the franchise, combined with Landau’s new comments, paint a positive picture for the future of the series. Though Avatar: The Way of Water has to be the fourth or fifth highest-grossing film of all time to break even, it does look like the studio is putting a lot of faith into the project. Filming Avatar is costly, and filming an entire opening act without being certain about the franchise’s future is a bold move.

Cameron has previously shared details on a cancelled Avatar sequel script he had called Avatar: The High Ground. He stated that that film had numerous sequences he was proud of, including a truly impressive battle sequence. However, he noted that the script simply didn’t contain the right amount of spirituality, and it didn’t push the envelope far enough for him.

It is possible future films could make use of some of that scrapped content. Having scrapped an entire script, it’s surprising Cameron has committed to filming an entire opening act. On the other hand, Cameron has already justified Avatar: The Way of Water’s long runtime by saying there are plenty of stories to service. Perhaps he has more of the story mapped out than most would assume.

Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing in theaters.

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Source: Deadline/Twitter