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Avatar (franchise)

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For the Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino television franchise of the same name, see Avatar: The Last Airbender (franchise).
Avatar
File:Avatar franchise logo.png
Created byJames Cameron
Original workAvatar
Owners20th Century Studios
(The Walt Disney Company)
Years2009–present
Films and television
Film(s)
Official website
www.avatar.com

Avatar is an American media franchise created by James Cameron, which consists of a planned series of epic science fiction films produced by Lightstorm Entertainment and distributed by 20th Century Studios, as well as associated computer games and theme park rides. The Avatar franchise is one of the most expensive franchises ever undertaken, with the combined budget of the first film and its four sequels estimated at $1 billion.

The first installment, Avatar, was released on December 18, 2009 and is the highest grossing film of all-time. The planned series was announced by 20th Century Fox on December 11, 2009, one week before Avatar was released to theaters. 20th Century Fox had confirmed the series on January 15, 2010.

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

Films

Film U.S. release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Status
Avatar December 18, 2009 (2009-12-18) James Cameron James Cameron James Cameron and Jon Landau Released
Avatar: The Way of Water December 16, 2022 (2022-12-16) James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver James Cameron & Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver & Josh Friedman & Shane Salerno Completed
Avatar 3 December 20, 2024 James Cameron Post-production
Avatar 4 December 18, 2026 (2026-12-18) James Cameron & Josh Friedman[2] Filming
Avatar 5 December 22, 2028 (2028-12-22) TBA[3] James Cameron & Shane Salerno Pre-production

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.[4] 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.[5]

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

Main article: Avatar: The Way of Water

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.[6][7][8]

Avatar 3 (2024)

Main article: Avatar 3

A third film is planned for December 20, 2024.[9] 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. Avatar 3 started shooting simultaneously with Avatar: The Way of Water in New Zealand on September 25, 2017; filming was completed in late-December 2020. While two additional sequels are planned, their release is dependent on the success of the second and third films.

Avatar 4 (2026)

Main article: Avatar 4

A fourth film is planned for December 18, 2026,[9] with Shane Salerno co-writing it. Jon Landau said that a third of Avatar 4 has already been filmed. Despite this, it was announced at the D23 Expo on September 9, 2022, that principal photography had officially begun for Avatar 4.

Avatar 5 (2028)

A fifth and final film has been announced and is scheduled for December 22, 2028 and has not started to be filmed but has started pre-production.[9]

Cast and crew

Cast

Character Films Video game
Avatar Avatar:
The Way of Water
 		Avatar 3 Avatar 4 Avatar 5 Avatar: The Game
2009 2022 2024 2026 2028 2009
Jake Sully Sam Worthington
Neytiri Zoe Saldaña
Colonel Miles Quaritch Stephen Lang
Parker Selfridge Giovanni Ribisi
Dr. Norm Spellman Joel David Moore TBA
Dr. Max Patel Dileep Rao
Corporal Lyle Wainfleet Matt Gerald
Mo'at CCH Pounder
Dr. Grace Augustine Sigourney Weaver Sigourney Weaver
Trudy Chacón Michelle Rodriguez Michelle Rodriguez
Eytukan Wes Studi
Tsu'tey Laz Alonso
Kiri Sigourney Weaver TBA
Tonowari Cliff Curtis TBA
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
Metkayina Interpreter CJ Jones
TBA David Thewlis

Production details

Film Composer Cinematographer Editors Production company Distributor Running time
Avatar James Horner Mauro Fiore Stephen Rivkin and John Refoua and James Cameron Lightstorm Entertainment
Dune Entertainment
Ingenious Film Partners 		20th Century Studios 2 hrs. 42 min. (theatrical)
2 hrs. 58 min. (extended)
Avatar: The Way of Water Simon Franglen Russell Carpenter Stephen Rivkin and David Brenner and John Refoua and James Cameron Lightstorm Entertainment
TSG Entertainment 		3 hrs. 12 min.
Avatar 3 TBA
Avatar 4 TBA TBA Lightstorm Entertainment
Avatar 5 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 $785,221,649 $2,137,696,265 $2,922,917,914 4 1 $237 million [10]
Avatar: The Way of Water December 16, 2022 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD $350–$400 million [11]
Avatar 3 December 20, 2024 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD $250 million [12]
Avatar 4 December 18, 2026 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD $250 million [12]
Avatar 5 December 22, 2028 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD $250 million [12]
Total $785,221,649 $2,137,696,265 $2,922,917,914 $1.337–$1.387 billion [13]

Critical and public response

Film Critical Public
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Avatar 82% (337 reviews)[14] 83 (35 reviews)[15] A[16]

Accolades

Main article: List of accolades received by Avatar
Avatar film series at the Academy Awards[17]
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

Other media

Video games

Title Details
Avatar: The Game

Original release date(s):[18][19]
  • WW: December 1, 2009
 Release years by system:
2009 – Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360, iPhone
2010 – iPad, Android
Notes:
Avatar Pandora Rising

Original release date:[20][21]
  • US: January 22, 2020
 Release years by system:
2020 – iOS, Android
Notes:
  • Developed by Scopely
  • Game was soft launched but never received a full release
  • Real time strategy game
  • On February 11, 2022 Scopely announced the game would cease production and servers would be shut down April 4, 2022.[22]
Avatar: Reckoning

Original release date(s):[23]
  • WW: 2022
 Release years by system:
2022 – iOS, Android
Notes:
  • Developed by Archosaur Games
  • Published by Level Infinite
  • Mobile MMO RPG shooter
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Original release date(s):[24][25]
  • WW: 2023/2024
 Release years by system:
2023/2024 – Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna.
Notes:

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."[26]

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.[27] The books were due to be published by Penguin Random House, although since 2017, there has been no update on the planned book series.[28]

In July 2022, the first graphic novel based on the Avatar franchise was announced.

Title Release date Age category Media type Ref.
Avatar: The High Ground December 6, 2022 – December 20, 2022 General Audience Graphic Novel [29][30][31][32]
  • Based on James Cameron original screenplay for Avatar: The Way of Water and will serve as a prequel to the upcoming film.[33]
  • Written by Sherri L. Smith and Augustin Padilla
  • Illustrated by Guilherme Balbi, Michael Altiyeh, Wes Dzioba, Michael Angel Ruiz, Diego Galindo, George Quadros, Gabriel Guzman, DC Alonso
  • Published by Dark Horse Comics and Penguin Random House
  • Three part series
    • Volume 1, to be released on December 6, 2022
    • Volume 2, to be released on December 13, 2022
    • Volume 3, to be released on December 20, 2022
  • During the development process of creating the four Avatar sequels, a lot of new ideas and stories were created and discussed. One such original story idea that didn’t make it into the sequels was James Cameron’s original story—“The High Ground.” Cameron shared what he had written with Dark Horse Comics and it was then adapted into a graphic novel.

Books

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

On January 22, 2022, the official twitter account of Avatar announced that a new book exploring the world and lore of Pandora called The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration will be released April 26, 2022 published by DK Books.[34][35]

Comic books

In October, 2015 Dark Horse Comics signed a 10-year partnership to publish Avatar comics.[36]

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".[37][38] From January to August 2019, Dark Horse published a six-issue miniseries called Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path.[39][40][41][42][43][44][38] Tsu'tey's Path was collected in trade paperback format on November 27, 2019, with "Brothers" included as supplementary material.[38]

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
#1 "Adapt or Die" May 4, 2022 Corinna Bechko Beni Lobel Mark Molchan Wes Dzioba TBA
#2 June 1, 2022
#3 July 6, 2022
#4 August 1, 2022
#5 September 9, 2022
#6 October 5, 2022

Live show

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.[45]

Exhibition

Avatar The Exhibition is a touring exhibition based on the first film. It opened in Chengdu, China on May 1, 2021 and closed on December 31, 2021.[46][47] It is currently touring Asia with future stops planned around the globe.[48]

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.[49][50]

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. ^ "Avatar producer teases the four sequels: "The connected story arc creates an even larger epic saga"". 8 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Josh Friedman Avatar 4". November 2, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Ferguson, Sarah (September 27, 2022). "Why James Cameron may not direct the final 'Avatar' movie". 7.30. ABC News (Australia). Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Horwitz, Jane (December 24, 2009). "Family Filmgoer". Boston.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
  5. ^ Keegan, Rebecca Winters (January 11, 2007). "Q&A with James Cameron". Time. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
  6. ^ Zinsky, Dan (September 25, 2020). "Avatar 2 Has Completed Filming, James Cameron Confirms". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ McNary, Dave (September 28, 2020). "'Avatar 2' Has Filming Finished, 'Avatar 3' Is 95% Complete, James Cameron Says". Variety. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c "'Star Wars' Films, 'Avatar' Sequels Pushed Back a Year in Disney Release Calendar Shakeup". July 23, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-07-23.
  10. ^ "Avatar". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  11. ^ "Box Office: 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Lands Coveted China Release". The Hollywood Reporter. November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c 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.
  13. ^ "Franchises - Avatar at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  14. ^ "Avatar". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 14, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  15. ^ "Avatar". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  16. ^ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  17. ^ "Avatar Oscar Nominations and wins". Oscars.com. Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  18. ^ Ubisoft (2007-07-24). "Ubisoft and Fox Team for Avatar Game". Comingsoon.net. Archived from the original on September 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
  19. ^ Miller, Ross (July 24, 2007). "Miller, Ross; "James Cameron selects Ubisoft to adapt Avatar"; joystiq.com; July 24, 2007". Joystiq.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2009.
  20. ^ "Scopely acquires Disney's FoxNext Games, maker of Marvel Strike Force". VentureBeat. 22 January 2020.
  21. ^ "Avatar: Pandora Rising". Scopely. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  22. ^ "AVATAR Pandora Rising Shutting Down".
  23. ^ "Avatar Reckoning". Archived from the original on September 14, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  24. ^ A New 'Avatar' Video Game Was Announced and People Have Mean Jokes
  25. ^ "Avatar Frontiers of Pandora". Ubisoft. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ "James Cameron Spins off 'Avatar' Book Series". The Hollywood Reporter. 22 August 2013.
  28. ^ Maher, John (December 7, 2017). "PRH Inks Multi-Book 'Avatar' Deal". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  29. ^ "Avatar: The High Ground Volume 1". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; September 25, 2022 suggested (help)
  30. ^ "Avatar: The High Ground Volume 2". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  31. ^ "Avatar: The High Ground Volume 3 (Avatar, 3)". Amazon. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; September 25, 2022 suggested (help)
  32. ^ "Avatar: The High Ground Volume 1". Penguin Random House. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  33. ^ "AVATAR: THE HIGH GROUND VOLUME 1 HC".
  34. ^ ""The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration" Book Releasing April 26th, 2022". January 31, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  35. ^ @officialavatar (31 January 2022). "We're excited to announce The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration. This book celebrates, explores, and explains t…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ^ "NYCC 2015: James Cameron's Avatar Comes to Dark Horse Comics". 9 October 2015.
  37. ^ "FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2017: JAMES CAMERON'S AVATAR/ BRIGGS LAND". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  38. ^ a b c "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  39. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #1". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  40. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #2". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  41. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #3". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  42. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #4". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  43. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #5". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  44. ^ "AVATAR: TSU'TEY'S PATH #6". Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse Comics. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  45. ^ "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.
  46. ^ "AVATAR: EXPLORE PANDORA Welcomes Guests In Chengdu". April 30, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  47. ^ "Avatar the Exhibition". 20th Century Studios. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  48. ^ "Exclusive: The Walt Disney Company and Lightstorm Entertainment on 'Avatar 2' Collaborations and Consumer Products". March 22, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  49. ^ 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.
  50. ^ Levy, Dani (February 7, 2017). "Disney's 'Avatar'-Themed Land Opening Date Revealed, Star Wars Land Coming in 2019". Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
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