Avatar 5 will be set on Earth, Oona Chaplin is new Na’vi leader in third film: Producer Jon Landau

Avatar: The Way Of Water has been breaking box office records since its worldwide release on 16 December. Now, writer-director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau have revealed their plans for the upcoming films in the franchise, which will be released in the coming decade. Jon shared that new cast member Oona Chaplin will play a Na'vi leader in the third film, the fourth will contain a big jump, while the fifth film will be set on Earth.

The first film in the franchise, starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver, was released in 2009. But even after 13 years, there is still plenty of fan interest in the franchise as it has earned over $2 billion at the global box office and is still running in theatres.

James, who was already confident in the future of the films, has already wrapped up production on Avatar 3 and part of the fourth film. Oona Chaplin, the granddaughter of actor Charlie Chaplin, joins the cast as Varang, the leader of a new Na'vi tribe known as the Ash People. Her character will be one with grey shades as the new tribe is linked to fire. She is best known for her role as Talisa Maegyr in the HBO series Game of Thrones. In an interview with Empire magazine, Jon shared, "There are good humans and there are bad humans. It's the same thing on the Na'vi side. Oftentimes, people don't see themselves as bad. What is the root cause of how they evolve into what we perceive as bad? Maybe there are other factors there that we aren't aware of."

He also added that Avatar 4 will have "a big time jump," while the fifth film will shift from Pandora for Earth. The producer revealed that this future version of Earth has "over-population and a depletion of our natural resources that make life harder."

But the upcoming film, expected to release in 2028, doesn't 'want to paint a bleak picture for where our world is going. "The films are also about the idea that we can change course," he said.

Avatar: The Way Of Water, which also stars Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, and Jemaine Clement, is nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, at next month's awards in Los Angeles, California.