Many years ago, James Cameron promised a series of sequels to his blockbuster 2009 movie, AVATAR. In 2022, the first finally arrived. AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER not only confirmed that Cameron's filmmaking and storytelling are as compelling as ever, but that the AVATAR story cycle has massive unexplored potential.
We won't have to wait nearly as long for the next movie in the series. AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH is the official title of AVATAR 3, and it is set for a Christmas 2025 release. This chapter will introduce previously-unseen elements of Pandora and Na'vi society, and push all the characters to new limits.
What's the Avatar Fire and Ash Release Date?
20th Century Studios will release AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH in movie theaters on December 19, 2025.
That's a massive step up in scheduling from the 13 years between the first two movies. Cameron has said that, as the series moves towards its fifth movie and presumed conclusion, that the schedule "will get tighter and tighter." The movies will not be"so far apart that it's like there's a generational difference between one movie. We're fortunate we survived that, right? We got over that hurdle."
Is There a Trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash?
There is no trailer for AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH right now. With the movie more than a year away from release, we'll likely have to wait a few more months to see any footage. FIlming was completed in December 2020, alongside the filming for AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER. But as with the previous two AVATAR movies, there is extensive post-production work to be done after principal photography was complete.
What's the Plot of Avatar: Fire and Ash?
We don't know very much about the plot, story, or new characters of AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH. We do know that Jake Sully and his family will cross paths with a previously unseen Na'vi tribe, the "Ash People." Producer Jon Landau, who died in July 2024, described the Ash People as "an aggressive, volcanic race."
Landau went on to say "“There are good humans and there are bad humans. It’s the same thing on the Na’vi side. Oftentimes, people don’t see themselves as bad. What is the root cause of how they evolve into what we perceive as bad? Maybe there are other factors there that we aren’t aware of." So expect to learn a lot about the Ash People and their place in Pandora in FIRE AND ASH.
Furthermore, when the film's title was announced at D23 in 2024, James Cameron explained a bit about the FIRE AND ASH subtitle. "…if you think of fire as hatred, anger, violence, that sort of thing, and ash is the aftermath. So what's the aftermath? Grief, loss, right? And then what does that cause in the future? More violence, more anger, more hatred. It's a vicious cycle. So that's the thinking." Knowing about the widespread losses we saw in the first movie, and the very personal ones in THE SHAPE OF WATER, it's easy to see how the ground has been laid for a cycle of violence and grief.
Where the Story Left Off in Avatar: The Way of Water
We don't know much time takes place between THE WAY OF WATER and FIRE AND ASH. The gap between the first two movies, in story time, was almost as long as the wait for the sequel: sixteen years. Expect FIRE AND ASH to pick up after THE WAY OF WATER a bit sooner than that.
The most important elements of THE WAY OF WATER to remember are that Jake Sully's family unit took refuge with the seafaring Metkayina clan in order to escape Colonel Miles Quaritch, who has been revived as a Na'vi bearing Quaritch's memories. After multiple battles with Quaritch's forces, Jake's oldest son is killed, and Quaritch is left for dead. He is rescued by Spider — his own son — even as Spider refuses to stay with his father, journeying with Jake and his family instead.
Who's in the Cast of Avatar: Fire and Ash?
AVATAR 3 features many returning cast members from THE WAY OF WATER. Sam Worthington plays Jake Sully, a former human who rejected human interests on Pandora and became a Na'vi. Zoe Saldaña plays the warrior Neytiri, Jake's wife. Sigourney Weaver is their adopted daughter, Kiri, while Britain Dalton and Trinity Bliss play Lo'ak and Tuk, Jake and Neytiri's surviving son and daughter.
Then there's Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, formerly a human soldier and now a "recombinant," which is to say a Na'vi with the memories of Quaritch's human life. Jack Champion plays Spider, the son of Quaritch who, even after saving his biological father, lives with the Sully family.
And Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, and Edie Falco have roles, as well.
And AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH also adds David Thewlis as Peylak, a Na'vi character, and Oona Chaplin, who plays the Ash People clan leader Varang.
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH opens on December 19, 2025.
All images courtesy of 20th Century Studios.