One of the biggest blockbusters in recent years is coming back to theaters. Disney has announced that Avatar: The Way of Water will return to the big screen on October 3, to prepare audiences for the premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash later this year. The announcement comes as the studio continues to shuffle its release schedule. The upcoming Avengers movies were moved around, leaving Marvel Cinematic Universe fans wondering how the new dates will affect the rest of the franchise. Fortunately for fans of the Na’vi, no upcoming Avatar movies have changed release dates.

Avatar: The Way of Water helped James Cameron‘s latest passion project go from one very successful blockbuster to a massive, epic franchise. Several sequels to the original Avatar film had always been planned, but it took The Way of Water more than a decade to become a reality. The sequel saw the return of Sam Worthington as Jake Sully. The heroic protagonist renewed his rivalry with Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang). While the military antagonist died in the events of the first movie, his consciousness was brought back to life through a Na’vi body grown in a laboratory.

Jake’s family was also introduced thanks to Avatar: The Way of Water. The sequel revealed that the protagonist’s marriage to Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) had led to the birth of several children. Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) was the oldest of the kids, and he tried to be as responsible as his father. The explosive action seen in Avatar: The Way of Water eventually led to Neteyam’s untimely death. The other kids, Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and Tuk (Trinity Bliss), are expected to have bigger roles in the coming films.

The Future of Pandora Looms in the Distance

Avatar: The Way of Water will be sent back to theaters thanks to the upcoming launch of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Not much is known about the plot of the third installment of James Cameron‘s saga, other than the fact that the movie will introduce a new group of Na’vi fighters that will shake things up for the Sully family. The protagonists of this story will also have to deal with the loss of Neteyam. With both Avatar movies making more than $2 billion each at the global box office, Disney has high expectations for the upcoming blockbuster. Kate Winslet will return as Ronal in the sequel that promises to take Pandora to new heights.

Avatar: The Way of Water returns to theaters on October 3.

via Collider