James Cameron says Wicked star and Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh will play a Na’Vi in Avatar 4, though he won’t confirm the sequel is even happening

James Cameron says Michelle Yeoh has been cast as a Na'Vi in Avatar 4 and 5... but he's not even sure if they're happening yet.

"Michelle Yeoh is definitely going to be in Avatar 4, if we make it," Cameron told TVBS News Japan (via World of Reel). "The movie industry is depressed right now, and Avatar 3 cost a lot of money. We have to do well to continue. We not only have to succeed, but also find a way to make Avatar 4 more inexpensively in order to move forward. Michelle will be in Avatar 4 and Avatar 5. She will play a performance-capture character. Her character’s name is Palakpuelat, and she is Na’vi."

There's no way that a multi-billion dollar franchise isn't going to continue on with a fourth and fifth sequel... especially given the fact that Avatar: Fire and Ash has earned over half a billion (yeah, you read that right) worldwide. Avatar 4 and 5 were announced around the release of Avatar: The Way of Water, and already have planned release dates. The fourth installment, should it enter production, is set to hit theaters on December 21, 2029, with the fifth chapter arriving on December 19, 2031. Though this may sound like a long way off, consider the fact that we waited some 13 years for Avatar 2.

"If we don't get to make 4 and 5, for whatever reason, I'll hold a press conference, and I'll tell you what we were gonna do," Cameron previously told Entertainment Weekly. "I don't know if the saga goes beyond this point. I hope it does."

Yeoh recently ended her tenure as Madame Morrible in Jon M. Chu's Wicked and Wicked: For Good, and is set to star next alongside Hunter Schaefer in Prime Video's Blade Runner 2099 series.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is in theaters now. For more, check out our Avatar: Fire and Ash review, or, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2026 and beyond.