Jon Landau reveals why they've already filmed Avatar 4's first act

Avatar: The Way of Water
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Producer Jon Landau has revealed why act I of Avatar 4 has already been filmed.

"We were not just filming Avatar 2, we were actually filming and capturing for 2, 3, and the first act of movie 4," Landau told the audience at a press for the Avatar: The Way of Water digital release (H/T Screen Rant). "Truth be told, there's a time cut after the end of the first act [of Avatar 4] and we needed to get all the kids before they got older."

Avatar: The Way of Water has now made $2.2433 billion at the global box office since it was released in December 2022. The only two movies above the sequel in the all-time rankings are the first Avatar movie at $2.9 billion and Avengers: Endgame at $2.7 billion.

"We’ve completed most of the first act of ‘Avatar 4’ and there were logistical reasons why we needed to do that," Landau told Variety at the Busan International Film Festival back in October 2022. "We’ve designed most of the whole movie for ‘Avatar 4’ but we haven’t actually filmed all of it – just the first act. With each sequel, we’re going to introduce audiences to new cultures and new biomes. We don’t leave behind the cultures that we’ve met." 

Avatar 3 is reportedly set to introduce a new fire species also known as the 'ash people.'

Avatar 3 is slated for a 2024 release date, with Avatar 4 set to follow in 2026. A fifth Avatar movie is planned for 2028. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2023 and beyond, or, skip straight to the good stuff with our list of movie release dates.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.