The first trailer for James Cameron’s highly anticipated third instalment in the Avatar saga, Avatar: Fire and Ash, has been officially released by Disney and 20th Century Studios. The film is set to hit cinemas on 19 December 2025, exactly three years after Avatar: The Way of Water, the $2.32 billion global blockbuster.
Premiered alongside The Fantastic Four: First Steps and now available online, the trailer introduces audiences to the fearsome Ash People — a soot-covered, fire-wielding Na’vi tribe led by the formidable Varang, played by Oona Chaplin. First teased at the 2024 D23 Expo, the tribe represents a more aggressive and spiritual counterforce to the previously introduced Metkayina clan.
In the Trailer, Jake Sully and Neytiri’s family join forces with the Metkayina to take on Varang and her sinister alliance with a resurrected Recom Quaritch (Stephen Lang). “Your goddess has no dominion here,” Varang warns Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), signalling a deep spiritual rift between the Ash People and other Na’vi clans. Battles rage, forests burn, and familial bonds are tested — with tensions flaring between Jake and Neytiri in moments of emotional intensity.
Director James Cameron confirmed that The Way of Water and Fire and Ash were originally scripted as a single narrative, but the complexity of the story led to the decision to split them into separate films. He promises not only stunning visuals but also “very high emotional stakes” that push beloved characters into “really challenging territory.”
The returning cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, and Joel David Moore. Newcomers David Thewlis and Michelle Yeoh also join the ensemble.
With Avatar (2009) still holding the record as the highest-grossing film of all time at $2.92 billion, expectations are sky-high for the third chapter. Cameron assures fans that Fire and Ash will deliver “an insane adventure and a feast for the eyes,” cementing Avatar as one of cinema’s most ambitious sagas.