Avatar (franchise)

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For the Bryan Konietzcko and Michael Dante DiMartino television franchise of the same name, see Avatar: The Last Airbender (franchise).
Avatar
Avatar franchise logo.png
Official franchise logo
Created byJames Cameron
Original workAvatar
Owner20th Century Studios
(The Walt Disney Company)
Years2009–present
Print publications
Book(s)List of book
ComicsList of comic books
Films and television
Film(s)
Theatrical presentations
Play(s)List of show
Games
Video game(s)List of video games
Audio
Soundtrack(s)List of soundtracks
Original musicList of original songs
Miscellaneous
Theme park attraction(s)List of theme parks
Official website
https://www.avatar.com

James Cameron's Avatar franchise is a planned series of science fiction films produced by Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Studios, as well as associated computer games and theme park rides.

The first installment, Avatar, was released on December 18, 2009 and was the highest grossing film of all-time for almost ten years after its release. The planned series was announced by 20th Century Fox on December 11, 2009, one week before Avatar was released to theaters. 20th Century Fox has confirmed the series on January 15, 2010. Note that the sequels only have working titles as of yet and they will most likely be given different names closer to the release.

Like the original film, the four planned sequels have "fully encapsulated" standalone plots that "come to their own conclusions". All four films have an overarching meta-narrative that connects them to create a large interconnected saga.[1] James Cameron described the sequels as "a natural extension of all the themes, and the characters, and the spiritual undercurrents" of the first film.

The Avatar franchise is one of the most expensive franchises and one of the biggest and most ambitious film projects ever undertaken, with the combined budget of the first film and its four sequels estimated $1 billion.

Films[]

Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s) Status
Avatar December 18, 2009 (2009-12-18) James Cameron James Cameron James Cameron James Cameron and Jon Landau Released
Avatar 2 December 16, 2022 James Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver[2] Post-Production
Avatar 3 December 20, 2024 James Cameron and Josh Friedman[2]
Avatar 4 December 18, 2026 (2026-12-18) James Cameron and Shane Salerno Pre-production
Avatar 5 December 22, 2028 (2028-12-22) James Cameron

Avatar (2009)[]

Main article: Avatar (2009 film)

The story focuses on an epic conflict on Pandora, an inhabited Earth-sized moon of Polyphemus, one of three gas giants orbiting Alpha Centauri A.[3] On Pandora, human colonists and the sentient humanoid indigenous inhabitants of Pandora, the Na'vi, engage in a war over the planet's resources and the latter's continued existence. The film's title refers to the remotely controlled, genetically engineered human-Na'vi bodies used by the film's human characters to interact with the natives.[4]

Avatar 2 (2022)[]

Main article: Avatar 2

Little is known of the storyline of the second film, but it is known that the film will be set several years after the first and will explore the oceans of Pandora. The film was originally planned for a December 2014 release, but has been delayed several times and is currently scheduled for December 16, 2022. Production began in August 2017. It wrapped in September 2020.[5][6][7]

Avatar 3 (2024)[]

Main article: Avatar 3

A third film will follow the second, planned for December 20, 2024.[8] Interviews in mid 2010 suggested that the third film would explore more of the Alpha Centauri system, but the script was not completed until late 2015 so this may have changed. While two additional sequels are planned, their release is dependent on the success of the second and third films.

Avatar 4 (2026)[]

A fourth film is planned for December 18, 2026,[8] with Shane Salerno co-writing it. Jon Landau said that a third of Avatar 4 has already been filmed.

Avatar 5 (2028)[]

A fifth film has been announced and is scheduled for December 22, 2028.[8]

Cast and crew[]

Cast[]

Character Films Video game Show
Avatar Avatar 2 Avatar 3 James Cameron's Avatar: The Game Toruk – The First Flight
2009 2022 2024 2009 2015
Jake Sully Sam Worthington
Neytiri Zoe Saldana
Colonel Miles Quaritch Stephen Lang
Dr. Grace Augustine Sigourney Weaver TBA Sigourney Weaver
Parker Selfridge Giovanni Ribisi
Dr. Norm Spellman Joel David Moore
Dr. Max Patel Dileep Rao
Corporal Lyle Wainfleet Matt Gerald
Mo'at CCH Pounder
Trudy Chacón Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Rodriguez
Eytukan Wes Studi
Tsu'tey Laz Alonso
TBA Sigourney Weaver
Tonowari Cliff Curtis
General Ardmore Edie Falco
Captain Mick Scoresby Brendan Cowell
Dr. Karina Mogue Michelle Yeoh
Dr. Ian Garvin Jemaine Clement
Varang Oona Chaplin
Javier "Spider" Socorro Jack Champion TBA
Neteyam Jamie Flatters
Lo'ak Britain Dalton
Tuktirey "Tuk" Trinity Bliss
Tsireya "Reya" Bailey Bass
Aonung Filip Geljo
Rotxo Duane Evans Jr.
Ronal Kate Winslet
TBA Vin Diesel
CJ Jones
David Thewlis
Abel Ryder Audrey Wasilewski
Chris Edgerly
Kendra Midori Kimberly Brooks
Dalton Keith Ferguson
Tan Jala André Sogliuzzo
Commander Falco Paul Eiding
Dr. Victor Monroe Gregory Alan Williams
Swawta David Kaye
Rai'uk Kyle Hebert
Dr. Rene Harper Ron Orbach
Beyda'amo Emerson Brooks
Shaman of the Omatikaya Clan Cumie Dunio
Priscilia Le Foll
Storyteller Raymond O'Neill
Ralu Gabriel Christo
Jeremiah Hughes
Entu Guillaume Paquin
Daniel Crisp
Tsyal Giulia Piolanti
Zoé Sabattie
Note: A gray cell indicates character did not appear in that medium.

Crew[]

Film Composer Cinematographer Editors Production
company 		Distributor Running time
Avatar James Horner Mauro Fiore James Cameron, John Refoua and Stephen E. Rivkin Lightstorm Entertainment 20th Century Fox 2 hrs. 42 min.
(extended: 2 hrs. 58 min.)
Avatar 2 Simon Franglen[9][better source needed] Russell Carpenter James Cameron, John Refoua, David Brenner and Stephen E. Rivkin 20th Century Studios TBA
Avatar 3 James Cameron, John Refoua, David Brenner and Stephen E. Rivkin TBA

Reception[]

The first film was released theatrically starting on December 18, 2009. As of December 27, 2009, the film has officially budgeted at $237 million and an estimated $150 million for marketing. However, the film is currently the highest grossing film in history, taking $2,847,246,203 worldwide. The film also spawned numerous related merchandise, including a series of video games, guidebooks and other collectibles. The film was well received critically and received many awards.

Box office performance[]

Film Release date Box office gross Box office ranking Budget (millions) Reference
North America Other territories Worldwide All time North America All time worldwide
Avatar December 18, 2009 $760,507,625 $2,086,738,578 $2,847,246,203 #3 #1 $237 million [10]
Avatar 2 December 16, 2022 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD $250 million [11]
Avatar 3 December 20, 2024 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD $250 million [11]
Avatar 4 December 18, 2026 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD $250 million [11]
Avatar 5 December 22, 2028 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD $250 million [11]
Total $760,507,625 $2,086,738,578 $2,847,246,203 $1,237,000,000 [12]

Critical and public response[]

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore[13]
Avatar 82% (316 reviews) 83 (35 reviews) A

Accolades[]

Main article: List of accolades received by Avatar
Avatar film series at the Academy Awards[14]
Category
Avatar
Picture Nominated
Director Nominated
Art Direction Won
Cinematography Won
Film Editing Nominated
Original Score Nominated
Sound Editing Nominated
Sound Mixing Nominated
Visual Effects Won

Music[]

Soundtracks[]

Title U.S. release date Length Composer(s) Label
Avatar: Music from the Motion Picture December 15, 2009 78:51 James Horner Atlantic, Fox Music, Syco

Singles[]

  • "I See You (Theme from Avatar)"

Other media[]

Book[]

The Art of Avatar is a film production art book released on November 30, 2009, by Abrams Books.

Video games[]

James Cameron's Avatar: The Game is a 2009 third-person action, which acts as a prequel to the film, features Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Giovanni Ribisi reprise their roles from the film. The casting and voice production for Avatar: The Game was handled by Blindlight. A yet untitled sequel was reported to be in production.[15]

In June 2021, a new video game was announced to be based on the film franchise, titled Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, with a targeted released in 2022 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna.[16]

In January 2022, a mobile MMO RPG shooter called [17] for iOS and Android was announced by Disney and Tencent. It is expected to release in 2022. [18]

[19] was announced for iOS and Android from Scopely in 2019. It is currently in beta.

Stage adaptation[]

Main article: Toruk – The First Flight

Toruk – The First Flight is an original stage production by the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil which ran between December 2015 and June 2019. Inspired by Avatar, the story is set in Pandora's past, involving a prophecy concerning a threat to the Tree of Souls and a quest for totems from different tribes. Audience members could download an app in order to participate in show effects. On January 18, 2016, it was announced via the Toruk Facebook page that filming for a DVD release had been completed and was undergoing editing.[20]

Exhibition[]

is a touring exhibition based on the movie. It opened in Chengdu, China on May 1st, 2021.[21][22]

Novels[]

Following the release of Avatar, Cameron initially planned to write a novel based on the film, "telling the story of the movie, but [going] into much more depth about all the stories that we didn't have time to deal with."[23]

In 2013, this plan was superseded by the announcement of four new novels set within the "Avatar expanded universe", to be written by Steven Gould.[24] The books were due to be published by Penguin Random House, although since 2017, there has been no update on the planned book series.[25]

Comic books[]

In October, 2015 Dark Horse Comics signed a 10 year partnership to publish Avatar comics.[26]

On May 6, 2017, Dark Horse Comics published a Free Comic Book Day one-shot entitled FCBD 2017: James Cameron's Avatar / Briggs Land, which included a short story set in the world of Avatar entitled "Brothers".[27][28] From January to August of 2019, Dark Horse published a six-issue miniseries called Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path.[29][30][31][32][33][34][35] Tsu'tey's Path was collected in trade paperback format on November 27, 2019, with "Brothers" included as supplementary material.[36]

Issue Story Arc Release Date Story Art Colors Covers Collection
FCBD 2017 "Brothers" May 6, 2017 Sherri L. Smith Doug Wheatley Wes Dzioba Dave Wilkins Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path
RELEASED: November 27, 2019
ISBN 9781506706702
#1 "Tsu'tey's Path" January 16, 2019 Sherri L. Smith Jan Duursema (pencils)
Dan Parson (inks) 		Wes Dzioba Doug Wheatley

Shea Standefer
(variants)
#2 February 13, 2019
#3 March 20, 2019
#4 May 1, 2019
#5 June 26, 2019
#6 August 21, 2019
#1 "The Next Shadow" January 6, 2021 Jeremy Barlow Josh Hood Wes Dzioba Guilherme Balbi
with Wes Dzioba 		Avatar: The Next Shadow
RELEASED: August 11, 2021
ISBN 9781506722429
#2 February 3, 2021
#3 March 3, 2021
#4 April 7, 2021

Theme park attraction[]

Main article: Pandora – The World of Avatar

In 2011, Cameron, Lightstorm, and Fox entered an exclusive licensing agreement with the Walt Disney Company to feature Avatar-themed attractions at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide, including a themed land for Disney's Animal Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The area, known as Pandora – The World of Avatar, opened on May 27, 2017.[37][38]

The themed land is set a generation after the events of the films and features two attractions; Avatar Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey.

References[]

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b Friedman, Josh [@Josh_Friedman] (November 11, 2015). "I appreciate the congrats and links and such today. One small point of order: I'm writing Avatar 3, not 2. Jaffa&Silver are writing 2" (Tweet). Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Horwitz, Jane (December 24, 2009). "Family Filmgoer". Boston.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  4. ^ Keegan, Rebecca Winters (January 11, 2007). "Q&A with James Cameron". Time. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
  5. ^ Zinsky, Dan (September 25, 2020). "Avatar 2 Has Completed Filming, James Cameron Confirms". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  6. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (September 28, 2020). "James Cameron Says 'Avatar 2' Filming Is 100% Complete, 'Avatar 3' 95% Finished; Praises New Zealand COVID Response". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  7. ^ McNary, Dave (September 28, 2020). "'Avatar 2' Has Filming Finished, 'Avatar 3' Is 95% Complete, James Cameron Says". Variety. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "'Star Wars' Films, 'Avatar' Sequels Pushed Back a Year in Disney Release Calendar Shakeup". July 23, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Composer Simon Franglen to Score 'Avatar' Sequels". 30 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Avatar". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c d Chris Cabin (September 30, 2017). "The 'Avatar' Sequels "Will Be the Most Expensive Movies of All Time," According to Fox". Collider. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  12. ^ "Franchises - Avatar at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  13. ^ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  14. ^ "Avatar Oscar Nominations and wins". Oscars.com. Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Ubisoft is making a new game based on James Cameron's Avatar". 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2019-02-24.
  16. ^ A New 'Avatar' Video Game Was Announced and People Have Mean Jokes
  17. ^ [2]
  18. ^ [3]
  19. ^ [4]
  20. ^ "That's a wrap! Filming for the upcoming #TORUK DVD is complete! Next stop, the editing room..." TORUK - The First Flight via Facebook. January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  21. ^ [5]
  22. ^ [6]
  23. ^ Flood, Alison (February 18, 2010). "James Cameron to write novel based on Avatar". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  24. ^ [7]
  25. ^ Maher, John (December 7, 2017). "PRH Inks Multi-Book 'Avatar' Deal". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  26. ^ [8]
  27. ^ "FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2017: JAMES CAMERON'S AVATAR/ BRIGGS LAND". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  28. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  29. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #1". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  30. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #2". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  31. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #3". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  32. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #4". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  33. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #5". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  34. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #6". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  35. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  36. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  37. ^ Cody, Anthony (September 22, 2011). "Disney to build Avatar attractions at its theme parks". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  38. ^ Levy, Dani (February 7, 2017). "Disney's 'Avatar'-Themed Land Opening Date Revealed, Star Wars Land Coming in 2019". Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2017.

External links[]

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