Renowned filmmaker James Cameron has sparked excitement around Avatar 3: Fires and Ash, hinting that it could be the franchise’s most daring installment yet. In an interview with Empire Magazine, Cameron shared insights into the upcoming film, emphasising his commitment to innovation rather than repeating past successes.
He told the outlet, “It’s a tricky thing,” adding, “We could be getting high on our own supply here, and everybody who looks at it [the new film] goes, ‘F***, that’s not what I signed up for.’”
Cameron stressed the importance of taking creative risks, saying, "If you're not making brave choices, you're wasting everybody's time and money. That alone is not sufficient to create success, but it's necessary. You've got to break the mold every time."
The filmmaker also shared that audiences can look forward to high-intensity situations, noting that while they may get taken to "places they won't expect," those places "will feel earned."
"We've got some really clever action set-pieces. You can get your blood up in this movie. But what excites me as an artist who recently turned 70 and has kind of done all that stuff is not only the opportunity to get to do it again, but to get to a level of character and intrigue you haven't seen before in an Avatar movie," he elaborated.
Cameron affirmed that the upcoming movie is in "strong shape" compared to his previous installment The Way of Water. "We've doubled the number of shots finished at this stage of the game than we had on movie two (and) the films are about equal length. So that puts us well ahead of the curve, which is something I've never, frankly, experienced before. We're getting to the point where we're actually getting good at this," he said with a laugh.
The first film Avatar was released in 2009 to huge critical acclaim and broke several box office records. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, out of which it won three. Its success led to the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water which was released in 2022. The Third part Fire and Ash was filmed back-to-back with the sequel. It is set to follow Jake Sully and Neytiri as they encounter "Ash People", a clan of Na'vi who Cameron has hinted are drawn more to violence and power than other clans.
The upcoming film will star Oona Chaplin, known for her role in Game of Thrones, as the leader of the Ash People, Varang. The new cast also includes David Thewlis and Michelle Yeoh in prominent roles.
Worthington and Saldana 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.
The second part as well as the third are written by Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. Cameron also produced the films along with his longtime creative partner Jon Landau, who died in July 2024.
Avatar 3 is set to be released in theatres on December 19, 2025.