We love “Avatar,” don’t we folks? Writer/director James Cameron sure does — he’s devoting a massive chunk of his career to making movies in that franchise, and while we can joke about long delays between movies all we want, Jimmy C is getting the last laugh because audiences seem to love these films. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — never bet against Jim Cameron. While some people still scoff at the idea of the blockbuster filmmaker continuing to make “Avatar” movies, the fact remains that these movies become huge, huge hits. It’s also worth noting that the films are only improving — not only was the technology for “Avatar: The Way of Water” superior to the first film, but the film itself was a huge step up in terms of emotional storytelling. In short, Cameron knows what he’s doing. And he plans to show us even more stuff.
/Film’s Jacob Hall is on the ground at this year’s D23 convention in Anaheim, where Cameron appeared to discuss “the most epic event for the most epic fans.” He told the packed crowd that he had traveled 7,000 miles from New Zealand for the presentation. “It’s also got high emotional stakes, more than ever before,” he said. “We’re going into really challenging territory for all the characters you know and love.” His talk included new VFX shots from “Avatar 3,” and Hall said the images were so beautiful, it was like “waking up on Christmas morning. Cameron also teased that there would be a character “we will love to hate,” new biomes in Pandora, and added, “The new film is not what you expect, but it’s definitely what you want.” Cameron was joined by stars Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington to provide new concept art and the film’s new title.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
“Avatar 3” will once again bring us back to Pandora, and show us whole new parts of the sprawling planet. While part 2 focused on Na’vi who take to the water, part 3 was said to focus on “Ash people,” whatever the heck that means, but at least we know that it has to do with fire now. “The big [creative] advance in [‘Avatar 3’] is just going to be greater character depth,” Cameron previously said of the film. “We’re seeing new cultures, new creatures — all the same stuff you’d expect from an ‘Avatar’ movie, but the whole idea of this cycle of films is to live with these people and go on this epic journey with them … This is a journey over time … There’s an epic cycle to the whole thing.”
At D23, concept art showed characters flying on Banshees while wearing large headdresses, and a large flying jellyfish airship. Hall described it as very “Final Fantasy,” but in a way that looked organic. There were also Na’vi of the fire, covered in white ash, body paint, and some very creepy masks dancing around flames. Hall said the highlight of the art was the jellyfish airships carrying organic, ship-shape structures, flying alongside the Na’vi into battle.
The presentation concluded with the film’s title: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and a new logo featuring the big Avatar “A” covered in flames. There wasn’t a whole lot to see outside of the art, but according to our eyes on the ground, it all looked very promising.
In any case, you can bet that Cameron is going to deliver something spectacular when “Avatar: Fire and Ash” arrives on December 19, 2025.