Zoe Saldana's Na'vi heroine Neytiri and Sam Worthington's Jake Sully lost their child in Avatar: The Way of Water, the second instalment in James Cameron's Avatar franchise. Therefore, even though Cameron wrote Neytiri and Jake's story as a love story, Saldana said that they will find it hard to keep such a relationship going in the third film in the franchise. Talking to Deadline about her character in the film, Saldana stated, "The way that we left the Sully family, they’re mourning heavily the loss of their child. So I do believe that that will carry out a great deal in the third installment of Avatar. Jake and Neytiri are on this journey of acceptance, of accepting who they are and what they must be for each other and how they’re going to push forward to keep their family safe. And I love the fact that in the core of this entire saga is a beautiful love story, and I love that Jim really wrote that for them. But it’s not going to be easy. They’re not always going to meet eye to eye, and I just hope that they keep each other safe. That’s my hope for them."
However, Cameron is yet to reveal the plot or premise of the upcoming film. Another interesting character dynamic waiting in store for the audience in Avatar: Fire and Ashi is the one between Jake and his sworn-enemy Stephen Lang's Colonel Miles Quaritch. After the loss of his child at the hands of the colonel, the intense battle between him and Jake will most likely heat up.
The returning cast of Avatar: Fire and Ash also includes Sigourney Weaver as Neytiri and Jake's daughter, Kiri, and Cameron's Titanic star Kate Winslet as Metkayina community member Ronal.
The third Avatar film is slated for a December 19, 2025, release in theatres. Cameron is also shooting the fourth film alongside it, and a fifth one is also in the pipeline.