With Avatar: A Way With Water's enormous box office success, the franchise has continued to demonstrate its strength and fandom. New installments of the franchise are currently approved, according to director James Cameron. Even though a new Avatar film might not be released until December 2024, fans have been speculating about its subject matter. What adventures await Pandora, the Na'vi, and the Sully family in the future? A look into mythology may hold some answers.
The titles of the Avatar films have a way of providing answers to these questions. There is a story developing here if one were to think along these lines. If each Sully child has a film experience, the series will have a dualistic feel that is centered on Pandora and the family. This not only makes it possible to carry out the original plan for four films to finish the story, but it also gives the franchise a more intimate feel.
Both Avatar films so far provide hints as to how further films might develop in the future if such an idea were to gain traction. Before diving into the films to gain answers, one might say it's vital to understand the man behind such a masterpiece. While the film didn't originally start as a franchise due to being out of social circulation for so long, Cameron saw a bigger vision for the franchise to develop the universe further, creating a saga that could play out in multiple films.
This is not uncommon for the director. Other films of his past would prove that his bold approaches to many of his projects, from Titanic to Terminator, are all meant to push for something more evolutionary. A love letter to everything he loved about sci-fi and lost civilizations since childhood, Avatar would emerge as an impactful story centered around nature, technology, the effects of imperialism, and the preservation of other cultures rather than trying to erase their identity.
This information helps audiences comprehend the Avatar franchise's working narrative bodies, because the first movie serves as the framework for all subsequent installments. When viewed from an intimate perspective, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neyteri (Zoe Saldana) serve as the catalysts for the plot's advancement. Given this premise, Cameron would take this relationship and apply it to the development of the universe. When looking at the number of sequels in mind, it happens to match the number of children the Sully family has. When examining the most recent installment in the series, this intimate focus on the Sully family appears to have already established this concept.
While the importance of family is the dominant theme in Avatar: The Way of Water, the story's central figure, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), leaves a lasting impression on the movie's themes. As much as it has to do with family, it has everything to do with leaving something behind — a legacy. Tsireya (Bailey Bass) makes this significant by not only teaching him the importance of the Way of Water, but also by showing a shift of focus from family to Neteyam's life, beginning and ending with a powerful lesson.
Avatar: The Way of Water makes Neteyam's death heartbreaking, but fundamental to the franchise's growth. To gain closure, Jake and Neyteri have a private and profound moment by burying him with ancestors at the spirit tree of the Metkayina. Avatar: The Way of Water makes a point to show that life is limitless, like water, even in death. When Neteyam dies, it is not only a vital turning point in the series to stop the RDA once and for all, but there is a much larger purpose for the family and the Sully children moving forward.
To keep the prior film context in mind, the story will move forward with vignettes of Neteyam's death in mind. Outside of this, each Sully child has vital abilities for the sustainability and growth of Pandora. The Sully children's skills are not only essential to the plot, but also help to safeguard Pandora as a whole. This will have a big impact on the next story's potential film premise.
While the title Avatar: The Seed Bearer is still unconfirmed, seeing this as a potential name for the third franchise carries a lot of weight for the next installment. Cameron has mentioned the potential problems that the Na'vi will face moving forward. Differing from the last films, the evil Na'vi will be making an appearance, being referred to as "The Ash People" for the next movie.
Avatar, while being personal in how it deals with its relationships with others, has a deep connection to the environment and its current issues. Diving deeper into the meaning of "The Ash People," fire and its impact on the forests seem to be a prime focus for the next film. Things strongly point toward the young and spry hybrid Tuktirey (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) taking the helm for the next installment, as evidenced by both her distinct traits and her close familial bond with her recently deceased brother Neteyam. She may play a critical role in preserving the forests on their planet. It would only seem right to continue the series with her as the source of hope for Pandora.
Moving forward, Lo'ak will prove to be a great point of interest moving forward. The Way of Water makes its stance clear with the sentimental bond Lo'ak and the young Tulkun Payakan make in the second act of the film; this will prove to be significant for another installment. Viewers get to see the execution of a real Tulkun at one of the film's darkest moments. Roa's sacrifice for this senseless act of violence has a huge impact because it reveals the true motivations of the sky people being there and the lengths they will go to obtain what they want.
It's a hard pill to swallow in the film. Cameron makes a hard-hitting point that technology will always make great strides, but it's not without the greed and selfishness of others that are often leading that trail in that advancement. Lo'ak's continued connection with Payakan can spark a potential storyline for potential threats moving forward for Cameron's current working title, Avatar: The Tulkun Rider. Lo'ak and Payakan's connection is particularly significant because the two outsiders have formed a personal attachment through their struggles. They have given the Na'vi race hope through a bond that goes beyond prejudice and hatred.
Moving on, Cameron's working title, Avatar: The Quest for Eywa, will be the last of the written sequels the director has planned for the franchise. In the Avatar universe, this will undoubtedly be one of the most exciting and talked-about movies. Avatar has managed to become one of the best and most lucrative franchises of our generation, as the series' most recent two movies have demonstrated. This shows that the final installment will not only draw in the crowds but also have an equally impressive plot to support it.
Kiri seems to be the next in line to support such a story. Out of all the Na'vi, Kiri has the most profound connection to Eywa, the Na'vi deity. Since her spiritual connection with Eywa and other lifeforms outranks that of any Pandorian or spiritual leader, this would allow Dr. Grace Augustine's narrative to progress. This also highly suggests that she is the most powerful of all the Na'vi. Avatar has always spread an internal message about peace within their world, and someone like Kiri could not only bring that but also put a stop to the RDA for good.
According to the producer of the Avatar film franchise, Jon Landau, Earth will be the setting for the fifth installment. This strongly suggests that Kiri and the Sully family will be the ones to rebuild humanity, and their home has given them their combined abilities. When examining the entire Avatar series, its political and environmental themes have served as the franchise's overarching message. When considering the franchise's overall message, this creates a pause to demonstrate how the people that humans have extorted now depend on such individuals to save them from their own destruction. Cameron has always emphasized moral standing in his work to distinguish between heroes and villains. Avatar gives the audience the freedom to choose a side and draw their own conclusions about who they want to root for throughout the series. A side is always chosen, even in the world of Pandora, and this theme permeates the entire series.