Avatar 2 is still on track for a 2022 release

It’s been well over a decade since the release of James Cameron’s Avatar but after numerous delays due to production and the pandemic, it seems that Avatar 2 is still on track to hit theaters later this year.

While speaking with THR, 20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell was asked whether Avatar 2 would premiere in theaters this year ; a valid question consider the sequel’s ever shifting release date, but without so much as a pause, Asbell said, “Yes. It will.” He added that the film is “going to blow people away” and that audiences are “not ready for what Jim [Cameron] is doing.” Although the first Avatar movie is the highest grossing film in the world (with $2.8 billion), I don’t know how many people have actually been eagerly awaiting the next four Avatar movies; that said, I’ve learned never to bet against James Cameron and I have faith he’s going to deliver quite the ride. Despite how long it’s been since the first movie, Asbell is confidant that the marketing department will be able to pump audiences up once more.

I can tell you that there is no better marketing apparatus in the business than the one at Disney. They will do an incredible job reigniting that passion for the original film. This is not just a sequel, it’s a saga. And it’s a family saga. It will be compelling on its own, but it will also be extremely compelling to return to those characters and to see how they’ve evolved. It’s less about Avatar being a really big movie and more about how Avatar was a really important cultural moment for audiences. I don’t think it will be hard to convince people to come back.

Set 14 years after the events of the first film, Avatar 2 will find Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) having started a family, but when the Resources Development Administration (RDA) returns to Pandora, the family is forced to flee to the reef. Jake and Neytiri’s family includes Na’vi kids Neteyam (Jamie Flatter), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and Tuktirey (Trinity Bliss), but they also have Miles Socorro (Jack Champion). Also known as Spider, the young boy was born at the military base on Pandora but was too small to return to Earth so he’s been raised by Jake and Neytiri.

It’s crazy to think that Avatar 2 was once slated for a December 2014 release but the film was pushed back again and again until it finally arrived at its current date. Steve Asbell seems confidant we’ll be returning to Pandora later this year and I certainly hope he’s right. Avatar 2 will hit theaters on December 16, 2022, followed by Avatar 3 on December 20, 2023, Avatar 4 on December 18, 2026, and Avatar 5 on December 22, 2028.