【Epoch Times August 15, 2024】Directed, written, and produced by Canadian filmmaker James Cameron, “Avatar” with a production cost of 237 million (USD, hereinafter) has accumulated a global box office of 2.923 billion since its release in 2009, ranking as the highest-grossing film in global box office history. Thirteen years later, the sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water” was released in 2022 with a global box office of 2.302 billion, placing it as the third highest-grossing film in global box office history.
James Cameron recently revealed at the “D23 Disney Fan Expo” that the third installment of “Avatar” has entered the final stages of production and is officially scheduled to premiere on December 19, 2025, under the title “Avatar 3: Fire and Ash.” From the preview footage unveiled, it’s clear that the film’s plot will embark on a new adventure, showcasing a completely different fantasy world.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Cameron mentioned that he will personally direct the fourth and fifth installments of “Avatar,” stating, “I have abundant energy, I love what I do, and nothing can stop me.”
He also disclosed that the scripts for both “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5” have been completed, and just a month prior, he reread them. In the interview, he exclaimed, “They are both fantastic stories that must be brought to life!” and jokingly added, “Unless I get hit by a bus, lying in an iron lung, someone else will have to do it.”
Although the fourth and fifth installments have yet to start filming, the director has begun selecting actors. Cameron told Entertainment Weekly, “Zhang Ziyi will appear in ‘Avatar 4’ and ‘Avatar 5,’ not in the previously reported ‘Avatar 3: Fire and Ash.'” He expressed being a little misrepresented, “We love Zhang Ziyi and look forward to working with her,” and revealed that “she will join very soon, play her role, and portray a very interesting character.”
At the age of 69, Cameron, who began his directing career in 1981, is also a film producer and ocean explorer skilled in shooting action and sci-fi films with extremely high budgets. Following a significant breakthrough with his second narrative film “The Terminator” in 1984, he went on to direct “Alien,” “The Abyss,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “True Lies,” “Titanic,” and “Avatar,” becoming the first director to have helmed two films with global box office earnings exceeding 2 billion and the only one to direct three films that surpassed this milestone.
Zhang Ziyi, born in Malaysia, became the first Chinese actress to be nominated for a BAFTA Award actress after starring in the martial arts film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2001. She later appeared in international films like “Memoirs of a Geisha,” becoming one of the most renowned Chinese actresses in Hollywood. In 2023, she made history by becoming the first Asian actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”