Both 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3 were filmed simultaneously, but according to star Zoe Saldaña, the third entry in the film continues to be an ongoing project.
During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Saldaña — who stars as Neytiri in the franchise — was asked about a photo she uploaded to Instagram showing off her on set in full motion capture gear. Saldaña revealed that she was doing pickup shots for the third film, which continues to be worked on despite filming officially having wrapped many years ago.
“Two already came out, and three is still like an ongoing thing,” said Saldaña. “Where will come back and he will continuously work on it, because just that the technology requires so much time.”
The actress went on to joke that they called her back in January for some pickup shots that required her to be riding an Ikran, one of the dragon-like creatures in the film, something she wasn’t physically prepared for.
“They called me back in January out of nowhere, and they’re like, ‘We just have some pickup shots. Can you please come in?’ I was like ‘Okay.’ He’s like ‘It’s super, you know, no hassle. It’s just little close-ups.’ And all of a sudden, they’re like, ‘Hey, so, now this shot is you on your Ikran.’ The Ikran is my dragon that I ride. And I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ Like, I haven’t gone to the gym in like . . . guys, I took a squat and I couldn’t get up,” the actress joked.
When will Avatar 3 come out?
The new Avatar 3 release date is now set for December 19, 2025. It was originally set for December 20, 2024. Meanwhile, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 will now release on December 21, 2029, and December 19, 2031, respectively. They were initially set for December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028.
