Avatar: Fire and Ash is three hours long, according to director James Cameron.
That makes the third Avatar film shorter than the previous one, Avatar: The Way of Water, which has a 3h 12m runtime. That said, it’s longer than the first Avatar, which clocks in at 2h42m.
“We’re at three hours, big surprise!” Cameron told Variety in an interview on October 1. “But it works beautifully, and the actors were super-excited about that idea. It’s like, 'Oh, OK, that feels right, you know?'”
With Cameron still putting the finishing touches to his epic sci-fi adventure, however, there is still time to make Avatar: Fire and Ash longer (or shorter) before it releases on December 19.
95% of Avatar: Fire and Ash was shot in an 18-month window, starting September 2017, alongside Avatar: The Way of Water. The result has been over seven years of post-production and VFX work, running across both films.
“So it’s not set in stone,” Cameron continued. “It’s a constantly evolving creative process. And that’s what keeps you vigorous and engaged.”
This vigorous creative culture, Cameron says, is what makes the difference between human-made art and AI art, and why he thinks computers won’t truly replace what artists can bring to the table.
“This is why the Gen AI stuff is never going to take the place of that. We need our artists. It’s artists in control of the process, right?”
“So it’s actually become a kind of crazily joyful finish. You know, it was a fraught production, let’s face it, but it’s been kind of a joyful finish, because it’s really starting to resonate and fire on all cylinders, and we’re getting a lot of first look finals, which is nuts.”
To get you ready for Avatar: Fire and Ash, you’ll get the chance to re-watch Avatar: The Way of Water in theaters on October 3, when the film re-releases.
