Avatar: Fire and Ash director James Cameron teases the film’s run time, which could prove to be polarizing for viewers. Speaking with Empire, Cameron opened up about the film’s development, explaining how development on the Avatar sequels progressed over time. While going over everything they had in mind, Cameron and his collaborators realized they had material for more installments than they initially envisioned. This led to the conception of Fire and Ash, which stemmed from ideas that were originally for 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. Cameron said Fire and Ash is shaping up to be the longest Avatar film yet.
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“In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2,” Cameron said. “The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren’t drilling down enough on character. So I said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to split it.’ [Movie] 3 will actually be a little bit longer than movie 2.”
Neither of the previous two Avatar movies are brief. The 2009 original has a run time of 162 minutes, while The Way of Water was over three hours long (192 minutes). Throughout his career, Cameron has become known for protracted run times; 1984’s The Terminator was the last feature of his to clock in under two hours.
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Ahead of Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s premiere this December, Cameron has been outlining his approach for the film’s story. He intends for the movie to be an in-depth exploration of grief as Jake and Neytiri try to process the unspeakable tragedy they went through in The Way of Water. Cameron is also looking to turn franchise tropes on their head by introducing a new Na’vi clan that’s more antagonistic in nature.
Audiences won’t learn what Fire and Ash‘s official run time is for a while, but if Cameron’s comments are any indication, it sounds like it will be well over three hours. On one hand, that gives Cameron plenty of time to flesh out all of the movie’s new elements. Between continuing threads from The Way of Water and bringing two new Na’Vi tribes into the picture, Fire and Ash will have a lot on its plate, and it’ll be important for these aspects to be properly developed. A shorter run time would run the risk of the film feeling rushed, which would be underwhelming. That said, a common critique of the Avatar franchise is that the films work better as big-screen spectacle than pieces of compelling storytelling. Should Fire and Ash fail to engage audiences on an emotional level, the movie could drag before it reaches its conclusion.
A longer run time could also have an impact on Fire and Ash‘s box office prospects, as theaters may be limited with how many screenings they can book each day. That would mean fewer opportunities for the film to generate revenue, but Cameron has proven time and time again that audiences shouldn’t doubt his ability to craft a crowd-pleasing blockbuster that turns a healthy profit. If his track record is anything to go by, Fire and Ash should be a big winner at the box office when it opens over the holiday season, regardless of how long it is.
