Jashandeep Singh
From starting her career with minor appearances in films and television shows to becoming one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood, Zoe Saldana’s journey has been nothing short of inspiring. With her exceptional talent, the actress has become a part of some of the biggest film franchises. From portraying Neytiri in ‘Avatar’ to embodying Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and stepping into the shoes of Nina Simone in ‘Nina,’ Saldana has done it all.
The star currently holds the record for being the only performer to feature in all of the three highest-grossing films of all time: ‘Avatar,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ With such an impressive track record, audiences can’t seem to get enough of the actress and are always looking forward to her future projects. So, let’s have a look at all the upcoming films and television shows of Zoe Saldana.
1. Emilia Perez (2024)
‘Emilia Perez’ is a comedy film that follows a Mexican cartel leader who undergoes a sex change to become the woman he always wanted to be so that he can run away from the law. Saldana stars in an undisclosed role along with Selena Gomez and Venezuelan actor Édgar Ramírez, while Spanish trans performer Karla Sofia Gascón plays the cartel leader. The musical film is directed by French director Jacques Audiard, known for ‘The Sisters Brothers’ and ‘Paris, 13th District.’ The film is currently under post-production and while a release date has not been announced officially, it is expected to premiere sometime in 2024.
2. Avatar Films (2025 – 2031)
There are three ‘Avatar’ sequels in the pipeline currently: ‘Avatar 3,’ ‘Avatar 4,’ and ‘Avatar 5.’ The plot details of the highly-anticipated James Cameron films have been kept under wraps as of now. However, it is known that the sci-fi franchise will continue the story of the Na’vi clan. Saldana is going to appear in all of the sequels, reprising her role as Neytiri, along with Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, and Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch.
‘Avatar 3,’ a direct sequel to ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ wrapped up filming in 2022 and is currently under post-production. On the other hand, the shooting of ‘Avatar 4’ and ‘Avatar 5’ had been going on simultaneously. The third installment is scheduled to be released on December 19, 2025, followed by the fourth and fifth installments on December 21, 2029, and December 19, 2031, respectively.
3. The Absence of Eden (TBA)
‘The Absence of Eden’ follows an ICE agent and an illegal immigrant woman coming together to save an innocent girl’s life while dealing with their own dilemmas and struggles. The drama film is helmed by Saldana’s husband Marco Perego Saldana. The actress spoke about her experience of playing an immigrant woman in the film in an interview with Variety and said, “My family’s from the Caribbean. So our wave of immigration was from the east side of the States, from the Atlantic.”
“It was a different experience. My grandmother immigrated for political purposes. Right after the assassination of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, a lot more visas were granted to Dominicans. She arrived in ’61. The conversation of immigration has always been a universal conversation in my life,” Saldana added. The film premiered at the Taormina Film Festival, Italy, in June 2023. It will be released on April 12, 2024.
4. The Bluff (TBA)
Saldanais slated to appear as the lead in ‘The Bluff,’ a survival film that follows a Caribbean woman who must protect her family while dealing with her dark secrets when her island is invaded by pirates. The action film is co-produced by Anthony and Joe Russo, marking their third collaboration with the actress after ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame.’ Frank E. Flowers helms the project in his second association with Saldana following the 2004 crime drama ‘Haven.’ The film, which is currently in development, will be distributed internationally by Amazon Prime Video. A release date is yet to be assigned to it.
5. Untitled Star Trek: Beyond Sequel (TBA)
The fourth installment in the rebooted ‘Star Trek’ franchise is given the working title ‘Star Trek 4.’ The film is a direct sequel to 2016’s ‘Star Trek Beyond,’ but the details concerning the plot have not been made public yet. The sci-fi film has been in development for several years now and has met with delays multiple times. In March 2022, Saldana expressed her excitement to return to the action film series to play Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, along with Chris Pine, who stars as James T. Kirk. However, the film has been in the pre-production stage for a long time and it is unclear if and when the film will eventually be released.
4. Special Ops: Lioness Season 2 (TBA)
While we only have a report of this high-octane action drama series returning for its second season, the fact that the report is from insider Daniel Richtman does add some truth to it. In Season 1, we saw Zoe Saldana’s Joe, a CIA operative, recruit Cruz Manuelos, a marine, to befriend a terrorist’s daughter after being recruited into the Lioness program. Season 2, however, will be an anthology series and will pin Joe and the CIA against the Mexican drug cartel. Considering Saldana was one of the leads in Season 1, she will make a return in Season 2 along with Nicole Kidman who played a high-ranking CIA official. Taylor Sheridan will be back to showrun this season too. Further details are awaited.
Read More: Where Was Avatar: The Way of Water Filmed?
