The future of ‘Avatar 4’ is becoming more apparent. As director James Cameron puts it, one of the fan-favorite characters might have a much larger role to play should the next installment proceed as intended.
For Cameron, that fan response is exactly the kind of signal that can shape the evolution of future Avatar stories. And, he has big plans for Varang.
James Cameron Explains How He Plans To Shape ‘Avatar 4’
In an interview at the Saturn Awards (via SR), Cameron revealed how the franchise is being influenced by feedback. He underlined that the decision to completely go with the fourth movie is not final yet. However, he also acknowledged that the possibilities are high.
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Cameron also disclosed that one of the characters, specifically Varang, could be given a bigger and more significant storyline in the future. Her appearance in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ made her the head of the Mangkwan clan. However, the dense story of the film did not allow her character to receive as much attention as she could have.
“From Fire and Ash, Varang may need to be written up a little bit moving forward. She kind of just took her place amongst all the others, because there are a lot of characters and plates spinning in the story. So, yeah, we might want to make her a little more prominent,” he explained. Cameron said that the Avatar saga is ever-changing. He cited ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ as an ideal example.
Payakan, the rebellious tulkun, was one of its greatest surprises and soon became one of the most popular characters in the film. Cameron states that, in fact, Payakan was the most rated character in the film by audiences, which was not the intended goal of the creative team. Because of that overwhelming reaction, the character’s role expanded in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’.
At this point, the same scenario could be happening with Varang. “But that’s good. That’s a good problem to have when people are really responding to an element.” At the conclusion of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, the story of Varang wasn’t finished. The leader of the Mangkwan does not lose the battle but vanishes afterward, which leaves the possibility of her reappearing.
Why ‘Avatar 4’ Still Looks Likely
Although Cameron is careful with his wording, the figures indicate that the franchise is not decelerating. Whole ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ did not do as well as its predecessors, the movie still grossed approximately 1.48 billion dollars globally, and was a huge success worldwide.
Due to that, numerous industry observers believe that ‘Avatar 4’ will come as scheduled in December 2029.
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If it does, Varang could become a key player in the next chapter of Pandora’s ongoing conflict. It could reconnect with Colonel Miles Quaritch and resume the fight against Jake Sully and his family.
To Cameron, that changing storytelling process is one of the thrills. The Pandora world continues to expand, and in some cases, the characters that viewers like the most tend to influence the future path.
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