James Cameron says that Avatar: Fire and Ash, also known as Avatar 3will likely be “a little bit longer” than Avatar: The Way of Water.

Cameron is currently working on the third film in the Avatar franchise. The film is currently expected to come out in December 2025 and will see Sam Worthington reprise his role as Jake Sully.

What did James Cameron say about Avatar 3’s runtime?

Speaking with Empire MagazineCameron explained that many of the ideas for Avatar 3 were originally incorporated into Avatar: The Way of Water.

“In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2,” Cameron said. “The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren’t drilling down enough on character. So I said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to split it.’”

He added, “Movie three will actually be a little bit longer than movie two.”

New concept art for Avatar: Fire and Ash, which sees Lo’ak riding an ilu, has also been released and can be viewed below via an X post:

Speaking about how making Avatar: Fire and Ash has been a personal experience for him, Cameron said, “These characters are amalgams of us, our childhoods, our role as parents, the mistakes we made, and probably to some extent continue to make as parents. I mean, Jake is a hard-ass motherf—. He’s very hard on his kids. Well, that’s me.”

Screenwriter Amanda Silver also said about the movie, “It was spectacular. You’re talking about a character deeply for days and days, and all of a sudden there they are… The characters needed to breathe. These movies are a lot more than just propulsive plot and gorgeous spectacle. I mean, these are real characters.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash is scheduled to be released on December 19, 2025, from 20th Century Studios.