Avatar: The Way Of Water Star Jack Champion Wants Audiences To 'Expect The Unexpected' In Avatar 3

James Cameron took his sweet time following the record-shattering success of the first "Avatar" in 2009 when it came to delivering a sequel. But that didn't mean he wasn't hard at work: the filmmaker ultimately hatched very ambitious plans for a five-movie franchise. The first of four follow-ups finally hit theaters recently (a full 13 years later) in the form of "Avatar: The Way of Water," which is already poised to become one of the biggest hits of the year. So, what can audiences expect from "Avatar 3?" The unexpected, it seems.

This, according to star Jake Champion, who plays one of the few human characters in the film, Spider. He was raised on Pandora and ends up bonding with the Na'vi. During a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Champion was asked about his reaction to the "Avatar 3" script. In his words, it was pretty shocking.

"I was very shocked by it. It just takes a hard left turn, and that's not a bad thing. You think you know where it's going, but then a wrecking ball comes. So you're completely like, 'Oh wow, I never thought that would've happened.' You also see more regions of Pandora, and you get introduced to more cultures. So I think it's even better than Avatar 2. Collectively, they'll each get better."

Without getting into spoilers for those who haven't seen "The Way of Water" yet, there are absolutely seeds planted to pave the way for the planned sequels. But, if Champion is to be believed, Cameron isn't going to go the obvious route with the story. And it seems he's building to something pretty epic, even by "Avatar" standards.

Cameron has already finished most of the third movie, so that is pretty much being released by Disney no matter what. As for "Avatar 4" and beyond? That all depends on how these sequels perform at the box office, though they do need to make a tremendous amount of money, given that they were tremendously expensive. In any event, if things keep going, it looks like we're in for something potentially mind-blowing. Cameron previously revealed that an executive's only notes on his script for the fourth film were "holy f***," suggesting it's going to be one heck of a movie.

Champion also addressed the topic of the fourth film and, while he couldn't say much, when asked if he had a similar reaction the actor said, "I did. Oh man, I can't say exactly why, but that story is pretty amazing and pretty dark." So, not to say that the filmmakers were holding back or anything, but it looks like the best is yet to come as this gigantic sci-fi saga continues to unfold.

"Avatar 3" is currently set to hit theaters on December 20, 2024.