Details of upcoming films, including the title of the third Avatar movie, an expansion of the Star Wars franchise and a sequel to Freaky Friday, were announced at a major Disney fan event. Filmmaker James Cameron told a crowd of 12,000 that Avatar: Fire and Ashes is “not what you’re expecting,” while American actor Jon Favreau previewed the upcoming Star Wars movie The Mandalorian and Grogu, starring Pedro Pascal.

Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, stars of the 2003 comedy Freaky Friday, also took to the stage to promote the film, which is due for release in 2025. The announcement was made on Friday at D23, a biennial convention for members of the official Disney fan club in California.

“Avatar” director Cameron made a surprise appearance alongside the film’s stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington. The sci-fi blockbuster, set to hit theaters on December 19, 2025, will follow 2009’s “Avatar” and its sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which hit theaters in 2022.

“The new movie isn’t what you’re expecting, but it’s definitely what you’re asking for,” Cameron told the audience. He said it was “too early” to share any footage, but that audiences got to see “cool concept art” that shows characters surrounded by flames in the sky.

“There will be new cultures, environments, creatures, new biomes,” he said. “You will see more of the planet Pandora than you’ve ever seen before.”

Lohan and Curtis were greeted with a standing ovation at the 8th Annual D23 event, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in California from August 9 to 11. Curtis called Freaky Friday, about a mother and daughter who switch bodies thanks to a magical Chinese fortune cookie, “funnier and more moving” than the 2003 film.

“We’ve kept in touch over the years and are very close, so it feels like we’re picking up where we left off, and that’s really nice,” Lohan said. Oscar-winner Curtis addressed the crowd, saying, “We love these characters, we love each other, we love you, you love us, we love the movie, we love 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. The audience was shown three images from the new film, including one of Curtis, sporting a silver bob, driving Lohan around in a convertible.

In the new film, Lohan’s character, Anna Coleman, has a daughter of her own. Freaky Friday is based on Mary Rogers’ 1972 novel, which was made into a 1976 film starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris.

Regarding the new Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian, executive producer Dave Filoni said production began “a few weeks ago” and the film is scheduled for release in May 2026. “We’re bringing Star Wars back to the big screen,” Filoni said.

The announcement came after Pixar’s chief creative officer Pete Docter announced that Incredibles 3 is also in the works. He confirmed that Brad Bird, writer and director of the first two films, is returning for the next adventure of the popular undercover superfamily.

Frozen director Jennifer Lee also showed up to confirm that two more films will be added to the Frozen series. “Even after Frozen 2, we still have some questions left… Now you know why it takes two movies to answer them,” she teased. Lee also unveiled the first concept art for Frozen 3, which is due for release in 2027.

Fans also got a teaser for a new song, “I Always Wanted a Brother,” from the upcoming Lion King prequel. Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the hit musical Hamilton, composed the theme song for Mufasa: The Lion King and said he was “very pleased” to work with the film’s Oscar-winning director, Barry Jenkins.

Also in attendance at the event was Toy Story star Tom Hanks, who participated in a panel discussion with the original film’s creators, including Pete Docter, chief creative officer of animation studio Pixar, who is now directing the film.

Since the first film was released in November 1995, Toy Story has become a critically acclaimed franchise, with three sequels and a fourth scheduled for release in 2026. Hanks voices Woody, a purse-drawn cowboy toy character.

During the panel discussion, the audience was shown a printed list dated February 3, 1993, entitled “Woody’s Purse Quote Ideas.” At the end was three handwritten sentences, including Hanks’ famous line, “There’s a snake in my boot.”

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