Narayani M
The makers of Avatar: Fire and Ash have unveiled its first look, spotlighting the franchise’s newest antagonist: Varang, the fierce leader of the Ash People, played by Game of Thrones alum Oona Chaplin. As promised, the third part of Avatar is set to take its audience on a different terrain of Pandora.
Set for a global release on December 19, 2025, Fire and Ash shifts the narrative focus to Pandora’s volcanic regions, where Varang’s clan, the Mangkwan, or Ash People, reside.
The Avatar X account also confirmed that fans will get their first glimpse of the trailer in theatres from July 25, but only during screenings of Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps.
In the second part Avatar: The Way of Water, which was released in 2022, Jake Sully and his family, under renewed human threat, seek refuge with the aquatic Metkayina clan of Pandora, a habitable exomoon on which they live.
Set ten years after the first film, it follows Jake and Neytiri’s children—Neteyam, Lo’ak, Kiri, and adopted human Spider—as they adapt to life with the oceanic clan to escape a reborn Colonel Quaritch. As Quaritch hunts them, Spider is captured and manipulated. In the final battle, Neteyam is killed saving his siblings, and though Jake defeats Quaritch, Spider chooses to save his biological father.
Cameron has previously revealed that the new film Fire and Ash will introduce a more antagonistic race of Na’vi. “We’re trying to evolve beyond the ‘all humans are bad, all Na’vi are good’ paradigm,” he said. The new film sees Jake’s family fractured and under siege as the Ash People rebel against the Na’vi’s traditional way of life and spiritual beliefs.
Fire and Ash will see the return of Worthington and Saldana who are set to reprise their roles. The returning cast also includes Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco and Dileep Rao.
Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Minions: The Rise of Gru) is set to join the Avatar franchise as Dr. Karina Mogue, a human scientist. However, director James Cameron confirmed in an interview with EW that she will not appear in Avatar 3. “Michelle Yeoh won’t be in 3. She’s in 4 and 5,” he stated, adding that her character is “interesting and fun.”
David Thewlis, known for his acclaimed role as Hogwarts’ professor Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter franchise, takes on the role of Peylak in Fire and Ash, one of the Na’vi who are Wind Traders, or Tlalim Clan.
Spider's relationship with his now-reborn Col. Miles Quaritch is set to undergo a drastic change. He is caught between his biological father and the family that he grew up with. Meanwhile, his brothers are reeling after Neteyam's haunting death. They are forced to get back up as soon as possible to redefine themselves without Neteyam. Lo’ak's life changes altogether as he steps into Neteyam's shoes.
Neytiri’s firstborn son's death spirals her into a vengeful rage, and audiences might see a different version of her character. "Not only would everything that’s happening compel her to question the bond she has with her husband, but also her bond with herself, her people, her land, and the way the Na’vi are. She’s going to question everything," Zoe Saldana said.
Fire and Ash was filmed alongside Way of Water and was earlier scheduled to release on December 20, 2024. Avatar 4 is slated to release on December 21, 2029 and Avatar 5 on December 19, 2031. There is a six-year time jump between Avatar 3 and 4 and the fifth part will bring the franchise down to Earth. “We go to it to open people’s eyes, open Neytiri’s eyes, to what exists on Earth,” producer Jon Landau said.