On what date was performance-capture filming with the principal cast completed?

Performance-capture filming with Avatar: Fire and Ash’s principal cast was completed on November 14, 2018.

The milestone was announced by director James Cameron while the Avatar sequels were being produced together. Performance capture records actors’ movements and expressions so they can drive digital characters; it is distinct from the live-action photography later carried out in New Zealand.

Principal photography for The Way of Water and Fire and Ash began simultaneously on September 25, 2017, at Manhattan Beach, California. After the performance-capture work wrapped, live-action filming began in New Zealand in early 2019. The production was unusually extended because Cameron and his team were developing multiple connected films, extensive underwater material, and demanding visual-effects sequences.

The dates in the wrong options refer to different production events or milestones. March 17, 2020, marked the announcement of a COVID-19-related filming postponement in New Zealand, while September 25, 2017, was the start of principal photography. November 14, 2018, specifically identifies completion of performance capture with the principal cast.