James Cameron gives update on Michelle Yeoh's future in 'Avatar' franchise

Avatar fans will have to wait beyond Avatar: Fire and Ash to see Michelle Yeoh’s character, as she won’t appear in Avatar 3.

Director James Cameron told Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview that Yeoh is not in the upcoming instalment of the Avatar Franchise, slated to debut in theatres on December 19, 2025.

"Michelle Yeoh won’t be in 3," he revealed, adding that she will surely join in new seasons, "She’s in 4 and 5."

"So that got a little bit misreported. She will be coming in soon to do her part, which is an interesting, fun character," he added, referring to Yeoh’s role as Dr. Karina Mogue.

The director also revealed that the team had been actively working on parts of the fourth instalment, driven by the need to film scenes while the cast is still young.

"I mean, we’re getting ahead of ourselves now. This whole thing has been planned for years and years," he continued. "The scripts were all written years ago, through the end of movie 5."

"So, we’ve been working on parts of 4 even as we go along, mostly because we’ve got this young cast. We had to shoot them all while they were still young," Cameron explained.

Additionally, the yet untitled Avatar 4 will premiere on December 21, 2029, while Avatar 5 is scheduled for December 19, 2031.