The official overview trailer for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is shown at the Ubisoft Forward live event and released online. The game is made available for pre-order with a set release date of December 7, 2023.
May 22, 2023
Avatar: The Way of Water will come to Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and DVD on June 20. The original Avatar will become available in 4K for the first time on the same date. [2][3]
March 28, 2023
Avatar: The Way of Water becomes available for digital purchase. Digital purchases include 3 hours of bonus behind-the-scenes featurettes.
March 07, 2023
The first home video release for Avatar: The Way of Water will be available for purchase in digital form on multiple platforms on March 28, 2023. Release dates for physical media and Disney+ have yet to be announced.[4]
Singapore's international airport Changi hosts the "Changi Festive Village 2022" in its terminal 3 departure hall through January 2, 2023 to promote Avatar: The Way of Water and the theme park Avatar: The Experience.
The theme park Avatar: The Experience opens at Cloud Forest in Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
October 1, 2022
The LEGO Avatar sets and McFarlane Toys' Avatar action figure line are made available for purchase.
September 23, 2022
The remaster of the first Avatar film is rereleased in theaters worldwide. The rerelease features a new alteration of an existing scene and a preview of Avatar: The Way of Water after the first credits.
September 10, 2022
Four scenes from Avatar: The Way of Water, totaling 13 minutes of footage, are shown in Dolby 3D to the D23 Expo audience during 20th Century Studios' presentation. The cast of the Avatar sequels as well as Jon Landau appear on stage to present the footage.
The first full trailer for Avatar: Reckoning is released online with a new release date of 2023.
June 18, 2022
During the LEGO CON 2022 presentation, the LEGO company announces LEGO Avatar and showcases one of the new sets, which is available for preorder with a set release date of October 1, 2022.
During Walt Disney's presentation at CinemaCon 2022, the first Avatar 2 teaser trailer is shown in 3D. The film is officially announced to be named Avatar: The Way of Water. The trailer is slated to show publicly on May 6th in front of Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and released online the following week. The first Avatar film is also announced to be re-released in theaters on September 23rd, 2022, with remastered visuals and sound.
April 3, 2022
Avatar: The Experience, also known as Avatar: Discover Pandora, announces a new venue in Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.
February 18, 2022
The family of David Brenner, renowned film editor who had been working on the Avatar sequels for over a year, announces that he passed away on the 17th of February, 2022. Lightstorm Entertainment opens a fundraising campaign to support Brenner's family.
Avatar: Reckoning, an MMO first-person shooter game for mobile devices, is announced, with a closed beta in Canada following shortly after.
February 9, 2022
The dev team for Avatar: Pandora Rising announced they would be ending development and closing the game on April 4, 2022. The title had previously been taken off the Apple and Android app stores on June 9, 2021 in preparation for major overhauls leading up to the game's planned global release.[7]
January 13, 2022
Avatar: Reckoning, a new mobile multiplayer roleplaying shooter game, is formally announced by developer Archosaur Games, Lightstorm Entertainment, Disney, and Archosaur's backing company Tencent for a 2022 release. The title will be published globally by Level Infinite.[8]
June 12, 2021
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is formally announced for a 2022 release with a First Look trailer reveal during Ubisoft's E3 presentation.[9]
The official Avatar website is refurbished, featuring a new layout and appearance.
April 30, 2021
Cityneon announces that Avatar: Discover Pandora (now renamed to The Exhibition) returns to the Spring Garden Wonderland in Chengdu, China, starting operation on May 1st and continuing until the end of the year.[10]
Avatar is re-released in Chinese theaters. The re-release grosses the film an additional $40 million, bringing its total grossing to $2.9 billion worldwide, setting a new highest grossing film world record and reclaiming the title of highest grossing film of all time from Avengers: Endgame.[12]
Avatar: The Next Shadow is officially confirmed as a four issue miniseries. The first issue will be released in print and digital on January 6, 2021.[16]
October 15, 2020
A deleted tweet from the official Avatar Twitter reveals the next Avatar comic series from Dark Horse, Avatar: The Next Shadow. Expected for January 2021, the comic is set immediately after the first Avatar film.[17]
September 22, 2020
During the online 2020 Austrian World Summit, James Cameron confirms that Avatar: The Way of Water's live action filming is 100% complete. Avatar 3's live action filming was described as "sort of 95% complete".[18]
July 29, 2020
Avatar Wiki reaches its 1,000th page! The article is Syura'ewan, added by KillerZ.
Cityneon acquires multi-year licensing rights to Avatar: Discover Pandora. The event company will be working with Lightstorm Entertainment and Disney Location-Based Experiences to continue the exhibition.[20]
June 3, 2020
David Thewlis clarifies to Collider that he is only in Avatar 3-5, not in Avatar: The Way of Water. The misunderstanding is in part due to conflicting information on IMDB and Total Film.[21]
May 29, 2020
David Thewlis's interview with Total Film about his Na'vi role in the Avatar sequels is previewed, with the full interview published in print and digital that day.[22]
May 24, 2020
Jon Landau, in an interview with RNZ, gives additional Avatar: The Way of Water story details about Jake and Neytiri's family. He also explains the measures the Avatar sequel crew is taking to safely continue live action filming during the coronavirus threat.[23]
May 21, 2020
Jon Landau confirms on Instagram that Avatar sequel filming would resume the following week.[24]
March 17, 2020
Filming on Avatar sequels in New Zealand is suspended due to coronavirus threat. [25]
December 18, 2019
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the release of Avatar, a 24h stream is aired on Twitter with interviews of cast and crew. [26]
December 17, 2019
Simon Franglen is confirmed as composer for Avatar 2 and 3.[27] Franglen previously collaborated with the late James Horner on the first movie soundtrack.
November 29, 2019
The official Avatar Twitter announces the end of 2019 live action filming for the Avatar sequels. The tweet features a preview of the Sea Dragon, a mothership for sea-faring craft featured in the upcoming sequels.[28]
October 18, 2019
Avatar: Pandora Rising soft launches for Android and iOS in Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.[29]
October 10, 2019
A since removed Amazon listing reveals Avatar: The High Ground, a three volume graphic novel series that serves as a direct prequel to Avatar: The Way of Water. The series is based off of James Cameron's original screenplay for the sequel before rewrites and is planned for release in 2020.[30][31]
August 26, 2019
The sixth and final issue of Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path is released in comic stores and on digital platforms.
August 23, 2019
The Inside the World of Avatar installation is shown at D23 Expo, featuring various props, costumes, and models used in the making of the original Avatar film as well as some props from Pandora: The World of Avatar and Avatar - The Exhibition. The installation also featured a behind-the-scenes look at Pandora: The World of Avatar and an advertisement for Avatar: Pandora Rising, the long planned Avatar MMO RTS mobile game.[32][33]
June 26, 2019
Issue five of Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path is released in comic stores and on digital platforms.
June 10, 2019
The end of Toruk - The First Flight's four year run is announced. The final show will be at the O2 in London, United Kingdom on June 30th, 2019.[34]
May 15, 2019
Jemaine Clemont joins the Avatar sequel cast as marine biologist Dr. Ian Garvin, described by James Cameron as one of his favorite characters.[35]
May 7, 2019
Disney-Fox updates their theatrical release state for the next eight years, delaying Avatar: The Way of Water to December 17, 2021. Avatar 3 is planned for December 22, 2023, Avatar 4 is planned for December 19, 2025, and Avatar 5 is planned for December 17, 2027.[36]
Issue four of of Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path is released in comic stores and on digital platforms.
April 15, 2019
Michelle Yeoh is cast as the scientist Dr. Karina Mogue in all four Avatar sequels. [39]
April 4, 2019
Vin Diesel posts a video of him with James Cameron on Instagram, featuring the two on the Avatar sequel set. While neither of them specify in the video what Diesel was on set for, it's speculated that he was cast in the sequels.[40]
March 20, 2019
Issue three of Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path is released in comic stores and on digital platforms.
The first footage of Avatar: The Way of Water is shown to Disney shareholders during a meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. It's unknown what was shown specifically or how finished the footage was. [42]
February 18, 2019
James Cameron is interviewed on The Empire Film Podcast for a 30 minute documentary feature on Avatar. He shares new insights on the first Avatar film's development as well as some new details about Avatar 2.[43]
February 13, 2019
Issue two of Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path is released in comic stores and on digital platforms.
In an interview with ET, James Cameron clarifies that the leaked Avatar sequel titles are legitimate, but are among many in consideration. No final decision about sequel titles has been made at this time. [45]
In an interview with Collider, Jon Landau confirms that performance capture on Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3 are completed, with some partial performance capture done for Avatar 4. Live action filming starts in New Zealand in spring 2019. He also mentions that the sequels will remain on Pandora and not explore different planets. [46]
January 19, 2019
In an interview with Barron's following Disney's acquisition of Fox, Disney CEO and chairman Bob Iger says that Avatar 4 and 5 are being developed but haven't been officially greenlit by the company. He expresses confidence in Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3's ability to deliver. He also mentions Avatar among other Disney properties as helping draw visitor attention and grow returns at the Disney theme parks. [47]
The cover of the first issue of Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path
The start of Avatar: Discover Pandora's European run is announced. The exhibition will be at the Andrássy Élményközpont in Budapest, Hungary from February 2-May 31, 2019.[49][50]
The BBC announces that it has "seen documentation", revealing the titles for the four Avatar sequels: The Way of Water, The Seed Bearer, The Tulkun Rider and The Quest for Eywa. There was no official confirmation at that time.[52]
October 27, 2018
In an interview to Hollywood Reporter, Sigourney Weaver says they have finished shooting for the next two Avatar films and to be working on Avatar 4 and 5.[53]
September 27, 2018
In the leadup to New York Comic Con 2018, Dark Horse announces Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path, a six issue comic book miniseries focusing on Tsu'tey during the first Avatar film and featuring events not included in the original movie. The first issue will be released on January 16, 2019.[54]
During Avengers: Infinity War promo, Zoe Saldana says that motion capture on Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3 is "just about done", with pre-production starting soon after on the live action portion. The live action portion will shoot in New Zealand for six months. She mentions overall production as approximately halfway done.[56]
David Thewlis, known for his role as Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter movies, confirms he's playing a Na'vi character in Avatar 3, 4, and 5 at the world premiere of The Mercy. He has already done some motion capture work for Avatar 3 with James Cameron in Los Angeles. Due to the secrecy of the sequels, he hasn't seen all of the scripts.[59][60][61]
Pandora: The World of Avatar has "...contributed to record attendance at Disney's Animal Kingdom and Walt Disney World overall...", as mentioned during the Walt Disney Company's Q1 2018 Earnings Conference Call.[62]
February 2, 2018
Dark Horse gives a status update on future Avatar comic releases, saying "more James Cameron's Avatar is planned for later this year...Will announce details when we can."[63]
The bust for a new Na'vi character is shown, speculated to be one of Jake and Neytiri's children, in an article for Architectural Digest. The article features Avatar themed renovations to the Lightstorm Entertainment studio and offices in Manhattan Beach, California.[65]
December 14, 2017
21st Century Fox, the distributor of the Avatar franchise, is bought out by the Disney Corporation.[66]
December 6, 2017
Penguin Random House enters a multi-year Avatar book publishing deal with Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Consumer Products. This deal involves books for kids and adults that "expand and enrich the Avatar universe". James Cameron will be involved in the development of the titles. The first books will be released in the leadup to Avatar: The Way of Water and further books will be released through and beyond the release of Avatar 5.[67]
Kate Winslet joins the Avatar sequel cast as Ronal, twenty years after her leading role in James Cameron's Titanic.[69]
September 27, 2017
The "next generation" cast of the Avatar sequels are revealed, including Jake Sully and Neytiri's children, other Na'vi children from the Metkayina clan, and Javier "Spider" Socorro, a human teenager who was born at Hell's Gate. The casting of Filip Geljo, who plays Aonung, the son of Tonowari of the Metkayina, was leaked five days earlier by TMZ. [70][71][72]
During promotion for a theatrical release of the 3D version of Terminator 2, James Cameron confirms that the Avatar sequels are in "full tilt" production. Cameron is currently guiding actors through the virtual sets as a form of "location scouting", with principal cast rehearsals starting at the end of September. [74]
Oona Chaplin, best known for her work on Game of Thrones, is cast in all four Avatar sequels in a lead role. She will be playing Varang, described as a "strong and vibrant central character". The announcement was made during the CineEurope trade convention in Barcelona, Spain. [79]
June 8, 2017
Lightstorm Entertainment renews a five year collaboration with Christie Digital to help develop the technology for glasses-free 3D viewing. Christie Digital will provide the Avatar sequels with an RGB laser projector while Lightstorm will be providing Christie with research findings on 3D, high frame rates, color spacing, and high-dynamic range. [80]
June 5, 2017
The second stop for the Avatar: Discover Pandora exhibition is announced. The exhibition will be in Bangkok, Thailand at The Mall Shopping Center Bankapi from July 1 to September 3, 2017.[81]
Ubisoft clarifies the release window of the Avatar Project game, confirming no plans to release the game before April 1st, 2020.[83]
May 8, 2017
Cliff Curtis, best known for his work on Fear the Walking Dead, is cast in all four Avatar sequels in a lead role. He will be playing Tonowari, leader of the Metkayina, the reef people clan.[84]
A Pandora: The World of Avatar media preview for select theme park news outlets takes place from April 28th to the 30th, providing the first extensive look at the attraction. Imagineer Joe Rohde, Executive Creative Director Stefan Hellwig, and Jon Landau are in attendance. Certain effects, like portions of the bioluminescence, aren't complete yet. [85][86][87][88]
April 22, 2017
On the official Facebook page, new release dates for Avatar: The Way of Water, 3, 4 and 5 are announced, with Avatar 2 hitting theaters on December 18, 2020, Avatar 3 on December 17, 2021, Avatar 4 on December 20, 2024, and Avatar 5 on December 19, 2025. [89]
March 26, 2017
Toruk - The First Flight concludes its North American tour with a final showing in Dayton, Ohio. The crew begin preparations for the Asian leg in the summer.
March 9, 2017
Good Morning America, The View, The Chew, and Nightline on ABC, owned by Disney, air sneak peek segments of Pandora: The World of Avatar.[90]
Responding to questions from PC Gamer, Ubisoft confirms that work on the new Avatar Project will not be at the cost of continued development for The Division.[92]
February 28, 2017
A new Avatar game for PC and consoles is announced. Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment studio leads the development in a collaboration with Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Interactive.[93]
February 26, 2017
Casting site My Entertainment World confirms that filming for Avatar: The Way of Water starts August 15, 2017 in Manhattan Beach, California.[94]
February 13, 2017
Sam Worthington discusses Avatar: The Way of Water during an interview with We Got This Covered while doing press for The Shack. He confirms that the sequels will still be shot concurrently, filming will start in 2017, and that Avatar 2 will have a family narrative. He also mentions Avatar 2 being set eight years after the original film and that he's read the scripts for Avatar 2-5.[95]
A leaked screencap from footage of Disney Imagineers testing the Flight of Passage ride from Pandora: The World of Avatar appears online. Instead of a ride vehicle that seats large crowds of people at the same time, Flight of Passage has a two rider only vehicle that resembles a banshee as seen in the films. The image shows two people on the banshee ride vehicle with the attraction's projection screen in front of them.[99]
James Cameron confirms in an interview with The Daily Beast that Avatar sequel motion capture starts in August. More active production will be taking place this year, with the motion capture volume already up & running and design work completed. He also confirms that the scripts for the Avatar sequels are complete, with Avatar 5 being the most recently finished.[101]
January 26, 2017
Another projection mapping test takes place in Pandora: The World of Avatar on the Hallelujah Mountains. The projection mapping is speculated by WDW News Today to be part of a future nighttime show.[102][103]
December 25, 2016
A behind the scenes preview of Pandora: The World of Avatar premieres during the television airing of Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebration.[104] Disney posts the clip onto their Disney Parks YouTube channel.[105]
December 22, 2016
Avatar makes its first appearance in the Animal Kingdom nighttime show, Tree of Life Awakenings. The brief segment features a Great Leonopteryx flying past a waterfall, with floating woodsprites serving as a transition to the next scene.[106]
December 13, 2016
Dark Horse reveals a special Free Comic Book Day 2017 issue of their upcoming Avatar comic, written by Sherri L. Smith, illustrated by Doug Wheatley and colored by Wes Dzioba. The Dark Horse line of Avatar comics and graphic novels is set to launch with the May 2017 FCBD issue, with a greater rollout announced for late 2017.[107]
In an interview with Superhero Hype, Sigourney Weaver mentions seeing three of the four scripts for the upcoming sequels. She also mentions James Cameron shooting "experimental" footage that might not make it to the official film releases.[109]
December 7, 2016
Picture from the ribbon cutting ceremony for Avatar: Discover Pandora
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Chairman releases more details about Pandora: The World of Avatar and announces its opening on summer of 2017.[110]
October 4, 2016
Toruk announces a short tour leg in Mexico during 2017, starting with Guadalajara in February.[111]
September 30, 2016
An internal casting call goes out at Disney regarding Pandora: The World of Avatar. Details of the call reveals the concern about creating an immersive experience, like requiring the cast to learn Na'vi.[112]
September 8, 2016
In an interview, James Cameron reveals what the Avatar sequels will be about.[113]
August 29, 2016
Stephen Lang states that the second film is still on track for the 2018 release date.[114]
July 24, 2016
Infiniteer Adventures reveals that Jake Sully and Neytiri figures were considered for Disney Infinity 3.0 before its cancellation, along with concept art.[115]
July 23, 2016
Cameron briefly discusses Avatar at Comic-Con, discussing how the project moved from a trilogy to a pentalogy.[116]
June 29, 2016
Gamespot reveal a new Avatar MMO is in development by Kabam. The game will be for mobiles.[117]
June 17, 2016
A "Toruk Zone" opens at Denver Comic-con, featuring Na'vi morphing stations and live make-up demonstrations.[118]
Toruk - The First Flight's performances in Raleigh are cancelled in response to North Carolina's HB2 legislation,[120] which many view as being discriminatory.[121] A number of other events and performances in North Carolina are cancelled by both Cirque and other organisations in response to the bill.
April 14, 2016
Logo used in the announcement
Avatar 5 is announced; a "fourth sequel" to the original film. The other sequels are delayed for a fifth time, with Avatar: The Way of Water moved from Summer to December 2018.[122]
March 31, 2016
In anticipation of upcoming shows in Kansas City, several members of the Toruk cast perform around the city center, in full costume.[123]
Avatar: The Way of Water and the other sequels are delayed by six months, possibly due to a scheduling conflict between it and Star Wars- Episode VIII. Avatar 2 is now scheduled for Summer 2018[128]
January 22, 2016
Toruk returns to the United States, with a week of performances in Auburn Hills, Michigan. A soundtrack is also announced in the form of an Itunes release.[129]
January 6, 2016
Avatar's domestic box office record is broken by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[130]
December 21, 2015
Toruk has its Canadian debut in Montreal, Quebec.
December 11, 2015
Cameron gives a small update on the progress with the sequels, stating that while small refinements on the scripts are still taking place, "the characters, settings and creatures are all pretty much [set]".[131]
December 4, 2015
An interview with James Cameron and other staff from Toruk goes up on Facebook. The interview confirms a rough date for the story of 837 BC.[132] (3,000 years before the events of the film)
November 27, 2015
A promotional ticket-giveaway for Toruk is enacted, with a quiz on Facebook.[133]
James Cameron unveils a Dark Horse comic book series set in the Avatar Universe. The comics will be set "before, during, and after the events of the original film.”[136]
October 6, 2015
Cirque du Soliel hold a Na'vi makeover booth at New York Comic-con, in support of the upcoming play.[137]
September 28, 2015
The Hollywood Reporter and IGN are fooled by a leaked art hoax, depicting a female Na'vi from the second film. The 'leak' was in fact a concept from the first film, posted by a fake Jon Landau Twitter account. [138]
August 17, 2015
A small exhibition of concept art takes place at D23, revealing images of the theme park attraction.[139]
Cameron and Landau release a joint statement expressing their sadness at Horner's death. "James's music was the air under the banshees' wings, the ancient song of the forest, and the heartbeat of Eywa."[141]
20th Century Fox CEO Jim Gianopulos describes visiting the set of the film. "It’s a room…which is covered floor to ceiling with images, characters, worlds, settings. It’s the most amazing, breathtaking thing you’ve ever seen."[142]
June 3, 2015
Lightstorm and Fox sign a deal with HP related to an 'Avatar Digital Experience'.[143]
Avatar cinema version will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 22nd (which is also Earth Day). The 3D Blu-ray and a value-added version are going to be released sometime around November.
February 2, 2010
Avatar has been nominated for 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
