James Cameron Says Avatar’s Hero Will Be Replaced
James Cameron has revealed that Jake Sully will be replaced as the hero in Avatar 3.
James Cameron says Avatar 3 will have a new hero. The director made the revelation during a recent interview on the Soundtracking with Edith Bowman podcast. He said the remaining sequels will each feature a different narrator and Jake Scully’s son, Lo’ak will be the new protagonist of the upcoming installment.
Cameron also explained that he plans to tinker with Avatar 3 after assessing what people loved and responded to most in The Way of Water. “We may go back and do a couple of moments here and there,” he said via Variety. However, the changes won’t be radical. The filmmaker says he will simply fine-tune the project to emphasize the thing fans enjoyed most.
Since Lo’ak really emerged as a character that people connected with, Cameron said he will find ways to enhance his presence. So making him the hero/narrator of Avatar 3 makes perfect sense. “I think it could be intriguing for people to think about what’s coming,” the director said. He added that seeing the story through the eyes of a new character will bring a new feel to the franchise.
Lo’ak, the star of Avatar 3, is the middle child of Jake and Neytiri. He is also mildly short-tempered and struggles to live up to his older brother’s reputation. But after his sibling’s death, Lo’ak must take up the mantle of the oldest Sully child. There were also hits of a relationship between him and Tsireya in Avatar: The Way of Water.
Although plot details about Avatar 3 are scarce, James Cameron recently said it will feature a fire Na’vi tribe who dislike Jake Sully and his family. Speaking to 20 Minutes, he also implied that the new clan will be depicted as morally gray. “I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides,” he explained.
This is a massive change to the Avatar characters since the franchise has always portrayed all Na’vi as morally good heroes and all humans as evil. Avatar 3 will do the opposite. Fans will be introduced to new worlds, while the story of the main characters continues. “I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal,” the filmmaker added.
Before Avatar 3 hits theaters, fans can still enjoy Avatar: The Way of Water. The story follows Jake Sully who lives with his newfound family on the extrasolar moon Pandora. But when a familiar threat returns, he must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home. Following its release, the film received positive reviews from critics who praised its visual effects.
However, most people did not take kindly to the lengthy runtime. Still, Avatar: The Way of Water earned over $1.916 billion at the global box office, becoming the highest-grossing movie of 2022. The film also boasts a stellar cast including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, and Matt Gerald. Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, and Jemaine Clement also star.
Meanwhile, Avatar 3 is scheduled for release on December 20, 2024.
