Avatar 3 Will Reportedly Feature Payakan And His Own White Whale

"Avatar: The Way of Water" has dominated entertainment headlines ever since it premiered in December of 2022, and subsequently became one of the biggest box office hits of all time. Most recently, it trounced "Spider-Man: No Way Home" to become the sixth biggest movie in history — and it doesn't seem to be slowing down (via Business Insider).

But one star of the film has earned even more attention than the box office, and even the rest of the star-studded cast, which includes Kate Winslet, Zoë Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver. We're talking, of course, about Payakan, the titanic Tulkun that bonds with Jake Sully and Neytiri's wayward son Lo'ak. Payakan has captured fans' hearts and grown into a franchise favorite. He even has an epic action sequence in the third act of "The Way of Water."

It should come as no surprise, then, that it sounds like Payakan will appear in an even greater capacity in "Avatar 3." According to producer Jon Landau, he'll even have his own storyline.

In an interview with Empire, producer Jon Landau revealed that Payakan will play an important role in "Avatar 3," as well as in the ongoing war for Pandora. "We view Payakan as a character, not just as a creature," Landau explained. "We will continue to explore his relationship with Lo'ak." 

Given that Payakan is a character, and not just a creature, it also tracks that he would have his own personal conflicts. Speaking of which, the character of Mick Scoresby (Brendan Cowell) will be returning for "Avatar 3" as well — and with a vengeance, no doubt, considering he lost an arm to Payakan in "Avatar 2." Conversely, Payakan will have every reason to eliminate Scoresby, as the latter wants to use Payakan's brain matter to make big bucks. When all is said and done, it sounds like we can expect some more epic action from Payakan and company in the Pandora wars — which, as Landau confirmed — are far from over.