Everything We Know About James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash
Image Courtesy of Lightstorm Entertainment
By Luis Zonenberg
As the Summer soon comes to a close, plans for the Christmas season are already taking shape and James Cameron seems to be helping front-run this operation. More than 15 years since James Cameron’s Oscar-winning franchise took off, audiences have been skeptical about the upcoming third installment in the Avatar film series. With the release of Avatar: The Way of Water bringing a slight resurgence in 3D and receiving numerous accolades, it was inevitable that a third entry would be on the horizon.
Cameron, however, seemed to be on top of this more than ten years ago. In an extremely bold move, the prestige filmmaker decided to film the second and third films back-to-back to avoid the “stranger things” effect. “I love Stranger Things” Cameron commented, “but you get the Stranger Things effect where they’re supposed to still be in high school, and they look like they’re 27”. Cameron even went so far as to even film a third of the fourth installment along with this to ensure that the younger cast-members would still look the same by the time the films were released.
Deadline reported that principal photography for both films began simultaneously on September 25, 2017, in Manhattan Beach, California. They later reported that filming with the principal performance capture cast wrapped on November 18, 2018, with the film officially wrapping in December 2020. By that time, Cameron confirmed about 95% of Fire and Ash had been completed. After the release of Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022, Cameron prioritized completing the third installment, even delaying its release to ensure the VFX would be fully completed.
In February of 2024, Cameron gave audiences an update on the status of the film. Cameron commented, “It’s pretty much in the can. We’re shooting pick-ups on [Fire and Ash], which is just filling in the last 2 or 3%, and we’ve also got live-action pickups in June, that’s another couple percent.” By this time, the film was heavily in post-production as his crew was working on completing the VFX, especially when taking into consideration all the cutting-edge technology they used during the filming.
Audiences would get a close look at the film during the D23 panel in 2024, along with the announcement of the film’s title. No footage was shown at the event and audiences would have to wait a long while before the first trailer would be released. For the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, the filmmaker decided to debut the trailer during special IMAX engagements of the film. A trailer would not surface until the following Monday, premiering on the official Avatar YouTube channel.
The first trailer gave audiences a first look at the new Na’vi tribe called “the Ash People”, showcasing their more aggressive attitude and intimidating look. It seems the tribe’s leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin) has allied with Jake’s enemy, Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) as a growing conflict ensues on the planet Pandora. As Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family grief over the loss of his son, they must soon ready themselves for an all-out war with the Ash People as tensions rise on the planet.
While not much else is known about the plot, it does seem to be paving the way for the overarching narrative that links all the films to kick in. It was filmed with cutting-edge 3D cameras, specially designed to film underwater sequences for the film. Considering how mesmerized audiences were with the visual aesthetic and world-building of the previous installment, they can be sure to have another visually dazzling and immersive experience when the film releases later this year.
Avatar: Fire and Ash will be released in theaters worldwide on December 19, 2025.
