D23 Reveals Details on Avatar 3, Toy Story 5, Star Wars The Mandalorian, and Freakier Friday

Details of new films were announced at a major Disney fan event, including the title of the third Avatar film, an addition to the Star Wars saga, and a sequel to Freaky Friday.

Director James Cameron told an audience of 12,000 that Avatar: Fire And Ash “is not going to be what you expect,” while US actor Jon Favreau teased a new Star Wars film called The Mandalorian And Grogu, starring Pedro Pascal.

Actors Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, stars of the 2003 comedy Freaky Friday, also took the stage to promote Freaky Friday, which is scheduled for release in 2025.

The announcement was made Friday in California at D23, the biennial convention for members of Disney’s official fan club.

Avatar director Cameron made a surprise appearance alongside the film’s stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington.

The sci-fi epic, scheduled for release on December 19, 2025, follows 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 it is certainly what you want,” Cameron told the audience.

He said it was “too early” to share the footage, but did let the audience watch “some awesome concept art” that showed the characters in the sky, surrounded by fire.

“There are new cultures, environments, creatures, and new biomes,” he said.

“You will see much more of Pandora, the planet, than you have ever seen before.”

Lohan and Curtis were greeted with a standing ovation at the eighth annual D23 event, which will take place August 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

Curtis described Freakier Friday — the story of a mother and daughter who switch bodies thanks to a magical Chinese fortune cookie — as “funnier and more emotional” than their 2003 film.

“We’ve stayed in touch over the years and we’re really close, so it’s like we’re picking up where we left off, which is really wonderful,” Lohan said.

Oscar winner Curtis told the audience: “We love these characters, we love each other, we love you, and you love us, and the movie, and the story, and what it means to you: that’s why we’re here.”

The pair confirmed that One Tree Hill’s Chad Michael Murray and NCIS actor Mark Harmon will reprise their roles in the sequel.

Audiences were shown three stills from the new film, including a shot of Curtis sporting a silver bob and driving Lohan in a convertible.

In the new film, Lohan’s character, Anna Coleman, has a daughter.

Freaky Friday, based on the 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers, was also made into a film in 1976, starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris.

As for the new Star Wars film, The Mandalorian, executive producer Dave Filoni said that production began “a few weeks ago” and that it is scheduled for release in May 2026.

“We are bringing Star Wars back to the big screen,” Filoni said.

The announcement came after Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter announced that Incredibles 3 was also in the works.

He confirmed that Brad Bird, the writer and director of the first two films, is returning for the next adventure of the beloved undercover super-family.

Frozen director Jennifer Lee also seems to confirm that there will be two more films added to the Frozen saga.

“After Frozen 2, we still have some questions… Now you understand why it will take two movies to answer them,” he previewed.

Lee shared a sneak peek at concept art for Frozen 3, which is slated for a 2027 release.

Fans also got a sneak peek at a new song for the Lion King prequel, titled I Always Wanted a Brother.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the hit musical Hamilton, composed the theme song for Mufasa: The Lion King and said it was “an immense joy” to work with the film’s director, Oscar-winning Barry Jenkins.

At the event, Toy Story star Tom Hanks joined a panel of creators from the original film, including Pete Docter, now chief creative officer of the animation studio Pixar, which created the film, for a panel discussion.

Since the film’s initial release in November 1995, Toy Story has become a highly regarded franchise, with three sequels and a fourth due out in 2026.

Hanks voices the character of Woody, a rope-wielding cowboy toy.

During the debate, the audience was shown a printed list titled “Woody’s Joke Ideas” dated February 3, 1993.

At the bottom were three handwritten phrases, including Hanks’ famous line “there’s a snake in my boot.”