Avatar: The Way of Water is a long movie. At 3 hours and 12 minutes, it’s a movie that you have to gear up to sit through. Director and creator James Cameron has revealed that the next film in the franchise will be even longer. In an interview with Empire Magazine, Cameron revealed that the third film will be longer and came out of an act from the second film.
“In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2,” Cameron explained. “The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren’t drilling down enough on character. So I said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to split it.’”
Cameron continued and said, “Movie 3 will actually be a little bit longer than movie 2.”
While this film might be very long, it might not be a terrible thing. The first two films have been two of the most profitable films in movie history. Avatar, from 2009, is the highest-grossing film of all time. Avatar: The Way of Water takes the third spot.
For the second and third films in the franchise, James Cameron was joined by screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver to write the film. Josh Friedman (assigned Avatar 4), and Shane Salerno (Avatar 5) were also in the writers’ room.
It was spectacular. You’re talking about a character deeply for days and days, and all of a sudden there they are,” Silver shared with Empire regarding seeing concept art for the film. She also shared about the need for time for nuance to be shown on screen. “The characters needed to breathe,” she says. “These movies are a lot more than just propulsive plot and gorgeous spectacle. I mean, these are real characters.”
Silver also shared how many of the dynamics seen with the characters were drawn from personal experience.
Avatar: Fire and Ash will be arriving in theaters on December 19, 2025.
What do you think of Avatar: Fire and Ash being even longer than its predecessor? Are you excited to see this film? What do you think of this franchise? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
