Details of new films including the title of the third instalment of Avatar, an addition to the Star Wars franchise and a sequel to Freaky Friday have been announced at a giant Disney fan event. Filmmaker James Cameron told a 12,000-strong audience that Avatar: Fire And Ash will "not be what you expect" while US actor Jon Favreau teased a new Star Wars film titled The Mandalorian And Grogu, starring Pedro Pascal. Actors Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, stars of the 2003 comedy Freaky Friday, also appeared on stage to promote Freakier Friday, which is set for 2025.
The announcements were made at D23, the biennial convention for members of the official Disney fan club, in California on Friday. Avatar director Cameron made a surprise appearance alongside the film's stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington. The science fiction epic, set for release on 19 December 2025, comes after 2009's Avatar and its sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water, which was released in 2022.
"The new film is not what you expect, but definitely what you want," Cameron told the audience. He said it was "too soon" to share footage but let the audience look at "cool concept art" which featured the characters in the sky and surrounded by fire. "There are new cultures and settings and creatures, and new biomes," he said.
"You will see a lot more of Pandora, the planet, that you've never seen before." Lohan and Curtis were greeted with a standing ovation at the eighth D23 event, which is being held from 9 to 11 Augus.