4 days Ago By Christian Zilko
Few titles elicit more intrigue than a new “Avatar” movie directed by James Cameron . The massive success of “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 2022 proved that even a 13-year delay between films was not enough to dampen audience enthusiasm for Cameron’s Pandora-set sci-fi saga and the stunning visual effects that accompany each film . And the upcoming third film, “ Avatar: Fire and Ash ,” might be the most important movie on Disney’s 2025 slate as Hollywood attempts to create some new box office magic after a bleak 2024.
Exhibitors received their first look at “Fire and Ash” when the trailer debuted during Disney’s CinemaCon presentation on Thursday, April 3. Cameron, who sent along a video message from New Zealand while finishing the film (he said of the release date: “this sucker’s coming at us like a freight train”), showed a clip in which massive flying whale-like creatures towed soaring aerial ships, only for them to be attacked by a rival clan of Na’vi raiders. As star Zoe Saldaña said on stage, this film introduces two new clans, the Windtraders and Ash People, the latter of whom have forsaken the Na’vi’s deity.
The teaser clip concluded with one of these Ash people warriors threatening Sigourney Weaver’s character by saying “your goddess has no dominion here.” “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is directed by James Cameron, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña , Kate Winslet, and Sigourney Weaver.
While the prospect of meeting a tribe of fire Na’vi has excited many “Avatar” fans, Cameron has always maintained that the third film might not push the boundaries of VFX technology as much as “The Way of Water” did. Instead, the auteur has told fans that his priority is adding more narrative depth to his expanding universe. “The big [creative] advance in [‘Avatar 3’] is just going to be greater character depth,” Cameron said in a 2023 interview with GQ .
“We’re seeing new cultures, new creatures — all the same stuff you’d expect from an ‘Avatar’ movie, but the whole idea of this cycle of films is to live with these people and go on this epic journey with them. So I think it’s not about, ‘We’re going to show you the best water [VFX] ever done’ — but you get more into the heart and soul of the characters. And there’s some very interesting new characters that come in as well.
This is a journey over time. It will play out through movie three, into movie four and movie five. There’s an epic cycle to the whole thing.
” A 20th Century Studios release, “Avatar: Fire and Ash: opens in theaters on December 19, 2025..
