Avatar 2 Is Setting Up A Future Way Bigger Than 5 Movies

Avatar: The Way of Water is the first of four planned Avatar sequels, though it sets up a story much bigger than five total films in the franchise.

Avatar: The Way of Water is setting up story elements that could easily go beyond the five movies planned by Avatar creator James Cameron. The Way of Water is expected to release in December 2022 after many delays and 13 years after the first Avatar was released. The film is expected to be followed by three more sequels should The Way of Water and Avatar 3 perform well commercially.

Despite the four planned sequels, Avatar: The Way of Water is focusing on some elements that can set up more films beyond the five Cameron has conceived of. From the focus on Jake and Neytiri's children and some of their interesting character details to unexplored areas of both Pandora and Avatar's mythology, there are plenty of ways that Avatar could go beyond five films. While this depends on audience reception to Avatar 2 and 3, Cameron could very well see fit to release more movies if the franchise reaches its intended fifth installment.

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The main way that Avatar: The Way of Water could be setting up more movies beyond the five planned is through the younger generation the film is including. Avatar 2 takes place over a decade after the first film, meaning Jake and Neytiri have built a family in that time. Jake and Neytiri have two adopted children - one human and one Na'vi - as well as three biological children, who will all feature in the movie in some capacity. It is through this expanded focus on Jake and Neytiri's children that Avatar 2 is setting up more movies down the line.

While Avatar 2 will introduce Jake's family, he and Neytiri are still expected to be the main characters of all four Avatar sequels. However, through The Way of Water, and the other three films, the subplots of the family could set them up for movies after Avatar 5 when Jake and Neytiri's arcs are finished. Lo'ak, is expected to be a fairly big part of Avatar 2 due to his connection to the Metkayina, and Kiri is the adoptive Na'vi who has hints to a spiritual connection of sorts in the film's trailer, there are plenty of ways the next generation could be set up for post-Avatar 5 stories.

One thing that Avatar 2 is promising in terms of Pandora is to focus on the oceanic tribes of the planet. However, despite this promise, Pandora will still have plenty of areas left unexplored. The planet is confirmed to have other biomes besides the jungle and oceans from Avatar and Avatar 2, such as deserts, volcanic areas, and savanna. These could all be saved to be explored in sequels after Avatar 5 by the aforementioned next generation of characters.

James Cameron notably stated when Avatar 2 was in early development that he wanted to explore the other moons of Polyphemus. Pandora is one of these moons, and there are 13 others that orbit the planet. Each could hold vast potential for stories to be explored after Avatar 5. As all movies up to the fifth are expected to focus on Jake and Neytiri's continued battle with humans, future Avatar movies could see their children dealing with Polyphemus' other moons - an idea which could be seeded in Avatar: The Way of Water through the focus on Jake and Neytiri's family and the untapped potential of the world Cameron has created.

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