{"id":361488,"date":"2026-04-03T06:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/361488\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T06:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:08:15","slug":"avatars-final-sequels-get-big-update-as-disney-reworks-release-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/361488\/","title":{"rendered":"Avatar\u2019s Final Sequels Get Big Update as Disney Reworks Release Schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The future of the <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/avatar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Avatar franchise<\/a> has already been mapped out by <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/disney\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Disney<\/a>, with <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/avatar-4-5-release-dates-tentative-schedule-rae-sanchini\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">release dates set for the next two sequels<\/a>. However, recent developments point to some changes. As fans know, the box-office performance of <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/avatar-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Avatar: Fire and Ash<\/a>, the most recent franchise entry, was meant to determine whether the sequels would move forward, as previously revealed by creator <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/james-cameron\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">James Cameron<\/a>. Fortunately, the film, which premiered in theaters nationwide last December, went on to become a box office success but <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/avatar-3-fire-and-ash-trails-original-avatar-global-box-office-1-4-billion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ranks as the franchise&#8217;s lowest-grossing installment<\/a> so far.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, producer Rae Sanchini has delivered great news for fans, confirming in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inverse.com\/entertainment\/avatar-4-5-sequel-update-producer-stars-interviews\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">interview<\/a> that <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/avatar-4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Avatar 4<\/a> and 5 are moving forward, but the <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/landman-season-3-billy-bob-thornton-filming-may-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">scheduled release dates<\/a> need to be updated. The two sequels were originally set for 2029 and 2031, respectively, but according to Sanchini, &#8220;Right now we&#8217;re figuring out the schedule. We&#8217;re working hard on it right now, budgeting, scheduling, planning, building out our new pipeline for them. As far as we&#8217;re concerned, we&#8217;re full speed ahead.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Calling the release windows &#8220;tentative,&#8221; the Avatar producer expressed hopes to solidify that schedule &#8220;in the not too distant future.&#8221; She further spoke of the scripts that are ready and &#8220;brilliant,&#8221; but noted that there was a brief hiatus to update their process with new technology. &#8220;We&#8217;re really moving into a more generally accessible platform,&#8221; Sanchini explained. Lightstorm&#8217;s former system was &#8220;very bespoke,&#8221; so the learning curve was steep, requiring &#8220;a lot of training for new hires.&#8221; Embracing &#8220;more generally available technology&#8221; will ideally streamline that process, as the team plans the pipeline for two more sequels.<\/p>\n<p>        <img width=\"440\" height=\"364\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Three-to-Tango-Matthew-Perry-Neve-Campbell-Dylan-McDermott,\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/three-to-tango-matthew-perry-neve-campbell-dylan-mcdermott.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/three-to-tango-matthew-perry-neve-campbell-dylan-mcdermott.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                    Related<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/movie-quiz-mar-3-2026-hangover-dune\/\" title=\"Three to Tango \u2014 The Collider Movie Quiz!\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tThree to Tango \u2014 The Collider Movie Quiz!<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">Can you identify the movie from a trio of its stars? Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, and Dylan McDermott hope you can.<\/p>\n<p>                        Where Can Fans Watch &#8216;Avatar 3&#8217;?<\/p>\n<p>Directed by Cameron from a screenplay he co-wrote with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, Avatar: Fire and Ash is the sequel to<a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/avatar-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> Avatar: The Way of Water<\/a>. The sci-fi film features <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/sam-worthington\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Sam Worthington<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/zoe-saldana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Zoe Salda\u00f1a<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/sigourney-weaver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Sigourney Weaver<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/stephen-lang\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Stephen Lang<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/tag\/kate-winslet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kate Winslet<\/a> reprising their roles from previous films. For those who missed the threequel in theaters, it is expected to be made available to stream on Disney+ later this year. In the meantime, it was <a href=\"https:\/\/collider.com\/avatar-fire-and-ash-digital-physical-media-release-date\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">released digitally<\/a> on March 31, 2026, featuring about 3 hours of behind-the-scenes bonus footage. Later on May 19, the film will be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD by 20th Century Home Entertainment.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned to Collider for more updates about Avatar 4 and 5.<\/p>\n<p>        <img width=\"480\" height=\"780\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"avatar-4-upcoming-film-logo-placeholder.jpg\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/avatar-4-upcoming-film-logo-placeholder.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/avatar-4-upcoming-film-logo-placeholder.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                            Release Date<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDecember 21, 2029<\/p>\n<p>                                            Director<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJames Cameron<\/p>\n<p>                                            Writers<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJames Cameron, Josh Friedman<\/p>\n<p>                                            Producers<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJon Landau<\/p>\n<p>                                            Franchise(s)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAvatar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The future of the Avatar franchise has already been mapped out by Disney, with release dates set for&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361489,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[156,409,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-361488","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-movies","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361488"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361488\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}