Exclusive: Arnold Schwarzenegger Joins Avatar 4 As A Na’vi
Arnold Schwarzengger will be appearing as one of the blue-skinned Na'vi in 2026's Avatar 4.
He’s been the Terminator, he’s been the Governator, and apparently, now he’ll be … the Na’vinator? Well, we don’t know what his proper name will be, but our trusted and proven sources tell us Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed on to the cast of Avatar 4 as one of the Na’vi. The film will mark the first time Schwarzenegger has appeared in a James Cameron-helmed feature since 1994’s True Lies.
Way back in 2013, before we even knew the full name of the sequel, there were a lot of rumors that Arnold Schwarzenegger would not only be in Avatar 2, but that his character would be the main villain. Fox Studios denied the rumors at the time and eight years later Avatar: The Way of Water hit theaters without any Arnold bad guys in the flick. Considering the kind of drastic rewrites blockbuster scripts are known to go through (particularly ones that are in development for as long as Cameron’s Avatar sequels have been), this new development makes it tempting to speculate Schwarzenegger actually was meant for Avatar 2 initially, but that things changed at some point.
We don’t know whether Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Avatar character is meant to be a hero, a villain, or somewhere in between, but regardless, taking on the role of a Na’vi has the added benefit of possibly giving us an extremely buff, top-heavy Na’vi character without concerns about the Predator star’s age. When Avatar 4 hits theaters in 2026, Schwarzenegger will be 79 and — while he no doubt will be one of the last 79-year-olds you want to mess with — physically he just won’t be the same guy producers used to hire to take his shirt off for action features. Of course, with the digital magic James Cameron is heralding in the Avatar films, it doesn’t matter what he looks like.
It’s fitting that what could very well be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last film would be in the Avatar franchise. Schwarzenegger and James Cameron both were integral to the other’s initial meteoric career. As co-writer and director of the game-changing and truly iconic The Terminator, Cameron gave Schwarzenegger the role that made his career, directed the 1991 follow up Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and continued to be involved as a producer in all of the actor’s other features in the franchise including the last one — 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate.
While Arnold Schwarzenegger seemed to be hanging up his acting career, even before we learned about Avatar 4, things seem fated to be picking up on that side of the former California governor’s life. In May, he’ll join Monica Barbaro in the spy series FUBAR on Netflix.
Then there’s the long-brewing Triplets, the sequel to the 1988 classic Twins, which will reportedly add Tracy Morgan to the set of siblings. Eddie Murphy was originally going to star, but in September 2021 Deadline reported Morgan had replaced him in the role.
