NEED TO KNOW
The first look at Avatar: Fire and Ash is almost here.
Before the sequel is released later this year, the first trailer for the movie is set to debut in movie theaters when it plays before The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is releasing on July 24.
The trailer first debuted in April 2025, when it was shown to audiences at CinemaCon. The clip introduced the Ash Clan — led by Varang (Oona Chaplin) — as new adversaries to Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), per Entertainment Weekly.
The film is the third in the Avatar series, which includes Avatar and its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water. Director James Cameron said he was still making changes to the third movie in a January 2023 interview on the Soundtracking with Edith Bowman podcast, using audience feedback from Avatar: The Way of Water to “tinker a little bit” with Avatar: Fire and Ash.
“For example, Lo’ak really emerged as a character that people went with,” Cameron said, suggesting that the character played by Britain Dalton would have a larger role in subsequent films.
From the cast to the plot, here’s everything to know about Avatar: Fire and Ash.
What is Avatar: Fire and Ash about?
Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
In January 2023, Cameron told France’s 20 Minutes that audiences should expect to see a new side of Pandora and the Na’vi with the “Ash People.”
“The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People.’ I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides,” the director said. “In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite.”
More recently, Cameron warned that Avatar: Fire and Ash might not be what some fans “signed up for” thanks to the “brave choices” he was making to ensure that the third film in the series would stand out among the first two.
“But if you’re not making brave choices, you’re wasting everybody’s time and money,” he said in a January 2025 interview with Empire. “That alone is not sufficient to create success, but it’s necessary. You’ve got to break the mold every fricking time.”
The trailer, which was shown to press in July 2025, introduced audiences to the new Ash Clan, which have developed a symbiotic relationship with fire, per Entertainment Weekly.
Who is in the cast?
Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Many cast members from the first two movies are slated to return, including Washington (Jake Sully), Saldaña (Neytiri), Weaver (Kiri), Joel David Moore (Norm Spellman), Jack Champion (Javier ‘Spider’ Socorro), Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch) and Dalton (Lo’ak).
Additionally, Chaplin will join the film series as Varang.
Is there a trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash?
The first trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash first premiered at CinemaCon in April 2025, where it was shown to an audience made up of movie theater owners.
The trailer introduced audiences to the Ash Clan, who lives in the shadow of a volcano, per Entertainment Weekly. In the clip, their leader, Varang, quarrels with Neytiri and threatens Kiri.
“We can not live like this, baby,” Jake tells Neytiri in the trailer, per Variety. “We can not live with this hate.”
The trailer also showed off the Wind Traders, another Na’vi tribe. The peaceful group travels around in ships propelled by jellyfish-like sails, per Entertainment Weekly.
On July 21, the official Avatar account on X announced that the trailer would debut to the public when it plays before The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which premieres on July 24.
How did Avatar: The Way of Water end?
20th Century Studios
In Avatar: The Way of Water, Jake and Neytiri have children and live on Pandora. However, humans soon attack the planet again, forcing Jake’s family to seek safety with the Metkayina people, an oceanic clan.
Still, Jake, Neytiri and their children aren’t out of harm’s way. At the film’s end, humans are still a threat to Pandora — Colonel Miles Quaritch’s memories have been implanted in a new avatar, and he’s still determined to get revenge on Jake.
Who is directing Avatar: Fire and Ash?
Mark Fellman/Twentieth Century Fox
Cameron, who directed Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, is directing the film.
The Hollywood legend has directed other box office hits such as Titanic and The Terminator.
Where was Avatar: Fire and Ash filmed?
Avatar: Fire and Ash was filmed in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Film Commission, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga, said that the Avatar franchise has supported thousands of New Zealand jobs over the years.
When will Avatar: Fire and Ash be released?
Avatar: Fire and Ash was originally set to be released in theaters on Dec. 20, 2024, but was later pushed back to Dec. 19, 2025.
The fourth and fifth Avatar films are set for Dec. 21, 2029, and Dec. 19, 2031, per Variety.
