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Image Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
The wait for Avatar 3—now officially titled Avatar: Fire & Ash—is nearly over, and anticipation is building fast. After the first two films shattered box office records, fans are eager to return to Pandora for the next chapter in James Cameron’s epic sci-fi saga. While Disney announced back in June 2023 that the film would be delayed until 2025, the gap still pales in comparison to the 13-year stretch between the original Avatar (2009) and its sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022).
In Fire & Ash, Sam Worthington returns as Jake Sully, the former Marine-turned-Na’vi warrior, as the story expands to introduce the Ash People—an aggressive, fire-wielding Na’vi clan that promises to shake up the balance on Pandora. From the cast and trailer to production updates and plot details, here’s everything we know so far about Avatar 3.
Avatar 2 (Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection)
Avatar: Fire & Ash Release Date
Avatar 3 is set to arrive in theaters on December 19, 2025. The release date has changed nine times. The movie was supposed to come out December 20, 2024, before it was delayed, again, on June 13, amidst the ongoing writers strike. The rumored title for the third film is Avatar: The Seed Bearer.
Star Zoe Saldana had a great reaction to the release delays of Avatar 3, Avatar 4, and Avatar 5. “Great! I’m gonna be 53 when the last avatar movie comes out. I was 27 when I shot the very first @avatar movie,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories.
Avatar: Fire & Ash Cast
Michelle Yeoh is starring in ‘Avatar 3’ (Photo: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock)
Avatar 3 features an ensemble cast led by Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana. Sam plays the human Jake Sully while Zoe plays Jake’s Na’vi wife, Neytiri. Other returning cast members include Sigourney Weaver as Kiri Sully, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, Joel David Moore as Dr. Norm Spellman, CCH Pounder as Mo’at, Kate Winslet as Ronal, Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore, Jack Champion as Miles “Spider” Socorro, Cliff Curtis as Tonowari, Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel, Britain Dalton as Lo’ak, Brendan Cowell as Captain Mick Scoresby, and Jermaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin.
New faces are popping up in Avatar 3, as well. Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh is joining the franchise as Dr. Karina Mogue, a human scientist. Game of Thrones alum Oona Chaplin is playing Varang, leader of the Ash People. David Thewlis has been cast as a Na’vi character.
What Will Avatar: Fire & Ash Be About?
Avatar (Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection)
Director James Cameron teased the Avatar 3 plot in an interview with the French newspaper 20 Minutes. “The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People.’ I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides,” James said in the interview. “In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite.” The famous director added, “We will also explore new universes while continuing the story of the main characters. I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal.”
Producer Jon Landau teased more about the Ash People’s role in the third film to Empire magazine. “There are good humans and there are bad humans. It’s the same thing on the Na’vi side,” he explained. “Oftentimes, people don’t see themselves as bad. What is the root cause of how they evolve into what we perceive as bad? Maybe there are other factors there that we aren’t aware of.”
James Cameron has also confirmed that Jake Sully won’t narrate the third film. Avatar 3 will be narrated by Jake and Neytiri’s second son, Lo’ak. “Lo’ak really emerged as a character that people went with,” James said on Edith Bowman’s podcast, Soundtracking, in January 2023. “So I might find ways to sort of—now, he’s already the narrator—oh, I’m giving something away here. But it’s OK,” James added. “I think it could be intriguing for people to think about what’s coming.”
Avatar: Fire & Ash Trailer
Avatar: Fire & Ash Filming
Avatar (Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection)
It’s been confirmed that most of Avatar 3‘s filming was done during production on Avatar 2. In an interview with Variety before the second film’s release, James Cameron said the still-unfinished third film is “a bit shadowy” and is “way too long.” He continued, “I haven’t really turned my energy into a disciplined cutting process on that yet. But I know I’ve got the performances. That’s the important thing. I’ve done all the capture. I’ve done most of the live action shooting. I still owe a little bit on some of the adult characters. We were more concerned with the kids aging out.”
Jon Landau revealed that they shot “95 percent” of Avatar 3, in a Dec. 2022 interview with Collider. “We have a little bit that we have to still pick up,” he shared.
Avatar Sequels
Avatar (Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection)
Avatar 3 is the midway point of the movie franchise. Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 are coming out in theaters on December 21, 2029 and December 19, 2031, respectively. Most of the cast, including Sam Worthington and Zoe Salanda, are returning for the final two movies. The first act of Avatar 4 has already been shot, according to Jon Landau’s Collider interview. The rumored title for Avatar 4 is Avatar: The Tulkun Rider. Jon Landau confirmed that there’s going to be a time jump before the fourth film.
The rumored title for Avatar 5 is Avatar: The Quest for Eywa. Jon Landau revealed in an interview with io9 that the fifth Avatar film would feature Zoe Saldana’s character Neytiri visiting Earth. “In movie five there is a section of the story where we go to Earth. And we go to it to open people’s eyes, open Neytiri’s eyes, to what exists on Earth,” he revealed.
