Walt Disney Studios announced new Star Wars and Avatar films will alternate pre-Christmas weekend release dates starting in December 2021.
The main Star Wars saga is set to conclude with the release of The Rise of Skywalker this December, but Disney has already begun developing new entries in the beloved franchise and release dates for future installments have been set on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2022. These new Star Wars films will alternate release dates with the four upcoming Avatar sequels from director James Cameron, which will also release on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2021.
Cathleen Taff, President, Theatrical Distribution, Franchise Management, and Business & Audience Insights, The Walt Disney Studios, made the following statement on the upcoming slate of projects, including the next chapters of the Star Wars and Avatar franchises:
“We’re excited to put in place a robust and diverse slate that lays the foundation of our long-term strategy, bringing together a breadth of films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Fox, Fox Searchlight, and Blue Sky Studios to create an extraordinary collection of cinematic experiences for audiences around the world. With a strong summer already in place, we are eager to carry that momentum forward over the coming years thanks to a creative wellspring of bold and imaginative stories coming from our world-class studios – including several new chapters of two revered franchises, Avatar and Star Wars.”
Go Big Blue. Disney's AVATAR updates:
AVATAR 2 – 12/17/21
AVATAR 3 – 12/22/23
AVATAR 4 – 12/19/25
AVATAR 5 – 12/17/27— Exhibitor Relations Co. (@ERCboxoffice) May 7, 2019
Directed by J. J. Abrams, the film stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams. Carrie Fisher will appear as General Leia Organa through the use of previously unreleased footage shot for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Directed by James Cameron, the Avatar sequels star Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, CCH Pounder, Cliff Curtis, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, and David Thewlis.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be released in theaters on December 19, 2019, and the first Avatar sequel is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on December 17, 2021.
Source: Walt Disney Studios
