Welcome back to Pandora.
Disney just released the first trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in James Cameron’s epic sci-fi saga. Set on the alien moon of Pandora, the series follows the Na’vi as they defend their homeland from human invaders who are stripping it of its natural resources.
This chapter finds Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) still grieving the loss of their son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), who died in the fight against Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang).
But their pain is soon eclipsed by a new threat: the Ash People, an aggressive Na’vi clan led by the fierce and enigmatic Varang (Oona Chaplin). As tensions rise, the lines between right and wrong blur, and a new war threatens to destroy everything Jake and Neytiri hold dear.
“You cannot live like this… in hate,” Jake warns Neytiri in the trailer.
Fire and Ash will see the return of most of the cast from the previous films, including Joel David Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and more.
The original Avatar, released in 2009, became a global phenomenon, earning over $2.9 billion and breaking box office records as audiences clamored to see its groundbreaking visual effects. More than a decade later, its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, grossed $2.3 billion.
While details about Fire and Ash remain tightly guarded, Cameron did reveal to Empire Online that the third film will be slightly longer than its predecessors.
“In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of [Way of Water],” he explained. “The film was moving like a bullet train, and we weren’t drilling down enough on character. So, I said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to split it.’ Movie 3 will actually be a little bit longer than movie 2.”
With every Avatar release turning into a cinematic event, calling audience anticipation “high” might be the understatement of the year.
It’s also nice to see Avatar continuing their tradition of half-face closeup movie posters.
Cameron plans to direct five films for the Avatar franchise, with the fourth and fifth films scheduled to be released on Dec. 21, 2029, and Dec. 19, 2031, respectively.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to hit theaters on Dec. 19, 2025, which means at least the wait is, thankfully, only months and not years away.
