According to Trinity Bliss, who plays Tuk in Avatar: The Way of Water and in the upcoming movie Avatar 4, there will be a significant plot twist in the latter film. Namely, the plot will undergo an eight-year time jump after the opening act. In April 2026, the actress reported that she had already finished shooting the first part of the movie, in which she will be playing a child. However, after that point, there will be a time skip that will allow the star to play the character at 16 years old. The recent news confirms the previous reports by the director of the franchise, James Cameron, and producer Jon Landau.
How and why it affects the plot and the production process
The time jump happens right after the first 30 to 40 minutes of the film, when it continues the events of Avatar: Fire and Ash. The opening act was filmed from 2017 to 2020 alongside Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3. The reason behind such filming was the need to have a consistent age appearance of young stars, such as Trinity Bliss and Jack Champion, since they appear in the interconnected movies.
Once the mentioned act is concluded, the plot will make an eight-year jump forward in time so that all the actors can return to their respective parts, only now in their real adult ages. The chosen solution allows avoiding any age inconsistencies caused by lengthy intervals between the two parts.
In addition to the production-related reasons, the time jump makes sense for the storyline as well. Sigourney Weaver will be taking center stage as her character Kiri becomes the protagonist of the second half of the movie, thus influencing the plot further. On the other hand, the threat coming from Varang, Oona Chaplin’s character, will remain active during both periods.
Apart from the character-related details, a broader arc also seems to develop. As Jon Landau revealed, Avatar’s universe will continue beyond Pandora and will eventually reach Earth in future installments. This change marks the beginning of a new era for the film.
Avatar 4 is scheduled for release on December 21, 2029, with its first act already completed and later sections currently in pre-production.
