James Cameron will once again put moviegoers’ stamina to the test in theaters.
According to AMC Theatres, the runtime for Avatar: Fire and Ash will be 3 hours and 15 minutes, making it the longest entry in the Avatar universe. By comparison, the second film, The Way of Water, ran for 3 hours and 12 minutes.
James Cameron has previously stated he won’t shorten the film to suit a particular format, explaining that Pandora’s story is “too vast for standard bounds.” The director says the third installment was expanded after editors discovered during Avatar 2’s post-production that the first half of the script contained too many ideas and plot threads:
“The movie was barreling along like a high-speed train, and we didn’t dig deep enough into the characters.”
The worldwide premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash is set for December 19. The film will serve as the third chapter of the Pandora saga and, in the director’s words, is “the most emotionally resonant and visually expansive” of the series.
Source: iXBT.games