Never underestimateJames Cameronand the power ofAvatar. Cameron releasedAvatarin 2009, his first film since 1997’sTitanic. The sci-fi adventure introduced Pandora, the beautiful moon home to the blue indigenous species called the Na’vi. With stunning visuals and epic worldbuilding,Avatarbecame a smash hit and remains the highest-grossing film ever at $2.9 billion. 13 years later, Cameron raised the bar withAvatar: The Way of Water, thethird highest-grossing film.
Audiences will explore Pandora again in the forthcoming sequel,Avatar 3,officially known asAvatar: Fire and Ash. Cameron is working hard on the third film, which should arrive by the end of next year. What can audiences expect to see inAvatar 3? Below, we reveal everything you need to know aboutAvatar 3, including the release date, cast, plot, and trailer.
When is Avatar 3 coming out?
Each Avatar film is an exciting but epic undertaking that takes time to bring to the quality level we as filmmakers strive for and audiences have come to expect. The team is hard at work and can’t wait to bring audiences back to Pandora in December 2025.pic.twitter.com/DrFX01qzTa
— Jon Landau (@jonlandau)July 18, 2025
Avatar 3is scheduled to be released in theaters onDecember 19, 2025. The third film was initially supposed to arrive on June 18, 2025. On July 23, 2025,Disney pushedAvatar 3‘s release dateto the end of 2025. In November 2023, Cameron gave a promising update at theScreen Production and Development Association (SPADA) press conference, sayingAvatar 3is on track for its 2025 release date.
“We’re into a very hectic two years of postproduction right now,” Cameron said. “So it will be Christmas of 2025.”
At the 2024 Saturn Awards, Cameron toldScreen RantthatAvatar 3is nearly finished, with only a few small pickup shoots left to complete.
“It’s pretty much in the can,” Cameron said aboutAvatar 3‘s production. “We’re shooting pickups on3, 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. We’ve got about a quarter of movie4in the can. We’re post on3and now doing the VFX, which is an enormous job. I’ll need every second between now and then to get it done.”
Who is in the Avatar 3 cast?
Most of the main cast fromAvatar: The Way of Waterwill return inAvatar 3. TheAvatar 3cast features:
Avatar 3will introduce new characters, including Oona Chaplin as Varang, the leader of the volcanic Ash People, and David Thewlis as Peylak, a Na’vi leader of the Wind Traders.
Two characters that may return are Laz Alonso’s Tsu’tey and Wes Studi’s Eytukan. Both characters died inAvatar. However,Avatarproved characters could rise from the dead, with Colonel Miles Quaritch. Though their participation inAvatar 3has not been confirmed,Avatarproducer Jon Landau posted a photo with Alonso and Studi with the caption, “It’s great to have Laz and Wes back for a little performance capture.”
Who is directing and writing Avatar 3?
James Cameron is directing, co-writing, co-producing, and co-editingAvatar 3. Cameron’s co-writers are Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who also helped writeAvatar: The Way of Water. Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno also contributed toAvatar 3’sstory.
What is the plot of Avatar 3?
Many of the plot details ofAvatar 3are under wraps. However, Cameron has revealed some tidbits on what to expect in the third film. One of the notable changes toAvatar 3is thatLo’ak will serve as the new narrator. Jake previously narratedAvatarandAvatar: The Way of Water.
Avatar 3will explore a different element on Pandora.Avatarintroduced the jungle-based Omaticaya clan, andThe Way of Waterfocused on the oceanic Metkayina tribe.Avatar 3will reportedly explore two new Na’vi cultures. One of the expected tribes is the “Ash People,” a fire-dwelling, aggressive clan. Cameron plans to show that not all Na’vi are good.
“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,” Cameron told theFrench outlet 20 Minutes(translated viaTotal Film). “In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. InAvatar 3, we will do the opposite. We will also explore new worlds, while continuing the story of the main characters. I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal.”
Avatar 3will pick up shortly after the events ofThe Way of Water, with Jake and his family encountering the Ash People.
Avatar 3 will be called Fire and Ash
At D23, Cameron, Saldaña, and Worthington revealed the official title of the third film,Avatar: Fire and Ash.The presentation did not reveal any footage. However, Cameron shared concept art from the third film, including a first look at the Ash people.
In 2018,BBC Newsreported that the titles of Avatar’s sequels would beAvatar: The Way of Water, Avatar: The Seed Bearer, Avatar: The Tulkun Rider,andAvatar: The Quest for Eywa. In 2019, Cameron toldETthat the leaked titles were “in consideration” to be used for the sequels. In December 2023, Landau debunkedThe Seed Beareras the third film’s title.
“I’m qualified to tell you that that is not the title forAvatar 3,” Landau toldComicbook.comat an event for theAvatar: Frontiers of Pandoravideo game. “That’s what my Wikipedia page says? That is getting changed tonight!”
Is there a trailer for Avatar 3?
Yes. The first trailer forAvatar: Fire and Ashdebuted on July 10, 2025. The trailer gives us an extended look at the Ash People who will be the primary antagonists in this new installment, but what’s less clear is what the actual plot for the new movie will be. Thankfully, though, we get plenty of time to look at new parts of Pandora, and they look just as stunning as everything that we saw in the first two installments.
What happened at the end of Avatar: The Way of Water?
Several storylines that happened at the end ofAvatar: The Way of Waterwill likely carry over intoAvatar 3. Spider saved his father, Colonel Miles Quaritch, from drowning. However, Spider rejected Quaritch and rejoined Jake’s family. Expect Quaritch to continue his vengeful quest against Jake in the third film.
After a vicious fight against the Resources Development Administration (RDA), Jake conducts a funeral for his son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), laying his body to rest with the Metkayina ancestors at sea. To thank them for their help in the fight for Pandora, the Metkayina clan invites Jake and his family to join the oceanic tribe. The Sullys accept the invitation. However, Jake remains committed to his fight against the RDA.
James Cameron says Avatar 3 will focus on new areas of Pandora
First concept for ‘AVATAR 3’
In theaters December 2025.pic.twitter.com/UjL7Pi04kX
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm)July 16, 2025
With the introduction of the Ash People, Cameron is bringing audiences to new areas of Pandora that have yet to be introduced.
“You’ll see a lot more Pandora that you never saw before,” Cameron said. “It’s an insane adventure and a feast for the eyes, but it’s also got very high emotional stakes, more than ever before,” Cameron said during the presentation. “We’re going into really challenging territory for all the characters you know and love.”
Avatar 3 will focus more on character over spectacle
AvatarandAvatar: The Way of Waterhave been praised for their groundbreaking visuals and technological advancements. Many critics and fans have called both films cinematic achievements. WhileAvatar 3will certainly be a visual marvel, Cameron revealed toGQthat the third film will focus on character over spectacle.
“The big [creative] advance in this movie is just going to be greater character depth. We’re seeing new cultures, new creatures — all the same stuff you’d expect from anAvatarmovie, but the whole idea of this cycle of films is to live with these people and go on this epic journey with them,” Cameron said. “So I think it’s not about, ‘We’re going to show you the best water [VFX] ever done’ — but you get more into the heart and soul of the characters. And there’s some very interesting new characters that come in as well. This is a journey over time. It will play out through movie three, into movie four and movie five. There’s an epic cycle to the whole thing.”
Avatar 3 producer Jon Landau tragically passed away during production
“The Avatar family grieves the loss of our friend and leader, Jon Landau. His zany humor, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit and fierce will have held the center of our Avatar universe for almost two decades. His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the…pic.twitter.com/fsR77qHoO2
— Avatar (@officialavatar)July 31, 2025
On July 5,Avatar 3producer Jon Landau died of cancer at 63. Landau was Cameron’s longtime producing partner, having worked onTitanicand multiple Avatar films. Cameron released a statement onsocial media.
“The Avatar family grieves the loss of our friend and leader, Jon Landau,” Cameron wrote. “His zany humor, personal magnetism, great generosity of spirit and fierce will have held the center of our Avatar universe for almost two decades. His legacy is not just the films he produced, but the personal example he set — indomitable, caring, inclusive, tireless, insightful and utterly unique.
Zoe Saldaña teases Ash People and Avatar 4
Zoe Saldaña Talks ‘Avatar 4’ Update & Keeping Up With Karla Sofía Gascón In Acclaimed Movie ‘Emilia Perez’ –#Cannes2024Studiohttps://t.co/7YaDOO3AWy
— Deadline (@DEADLINE)July 03, 2025
While promotingEmilia Perezat the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Saldaña spoke toDeadlineabout the upcoming Avatar sequels. Saldaña confirmed that she will soon return to Manhattan Beach, California, to continue work onAvatar 4and5. Saldaña also confirmed that the “evil volcano people,” also described as the volcanic Ash People, are on the way. “Brace yourselves,” Saldaña said, teasing the arrival of new characters and actors in the next three Avatar films.
“Being in Pandora has also been a very powerful and life-changing milestone in my life,” Saldaña added. “I will never take that for granted.”
In a separate interview withElle, Saldaña spoke about how the movie works in relation to the previous films.
“Out of the five-episode saga, it is the exact middle for them. I do believe thatFire and Ashis going to be the biggest turning point in this journey for these two individuals and this world,” she explained.
“In the making of the third one, we lost [Avatarproducer] Jon Landau,” she shared. “Experiencing loss, it’s just hard. Now more than ever,Avatar[has become] a much more meaningful [series], a story for all of us. So, we’re very proud of it… For me to be a part of an amazing family of people since my 20s, I think,Oh my God, I love them, and I’ll do anything for them.”
Do we know what the runtime will be for Avatar 3?
While the exact runtime for the film hasn’t been confirmed yet, we know that theAvatarmovies are not exactly short. The first one was over 2 hours and 40 minutes, andThe Way of Waterwas well over three hours. In speaking withEmpire Magazine, Cameron actually suggested thatFire and Ashmight be the longest installment to date. “Movie three will actually be a little bit longer than movie two,” heexplained.
James Cameron said his wife had an emotional reaction to Avatar 3
Elsewhere in his conversation withEmpire, Cameron suggested that his wife had a deeply emotional reaction toFire and Ash.
“My wife watched the whole thing from end to end. She had kept herself away from it and I wasn’t showing her bits and pieces as we went along. This was Dec. 22,” he said. “She bawled for four hours. She kept trying to get her shit back together so she could tell me specific reactions, and then she’d just tear up and start crying again. Finally, I’m like, ‘Honey, I’ve got to go to bed. Sorry, we’ll talk about it some other time.’”
Will there be more films after Avatar 3?
Avatar 3will not be the final film in the series.Avatar 4andAvatar 5are scheduled to be released on June 13, 2025, and June 21, 2025, respectively.
Cameron has expressed plans forAvatar 6andAvatar7, though the filmmaker toldPeoplehe would probably be “handing the baton on at that point” to another director.
What’s still very unclear, though, is what each of those movies will be about. What we do know, though, is that the fourth film will feature a jump forward in time, which is why they’ve already shot part of the fourth film.
“We’ve completed most of the first act ofAvatar 4and there were logistical reasons why we needed to do that,” Landau toldVarietyin 2022. “We’ve designed most of the whole movie forAvatar 4but we haven’t actually filmed all of it — just the first act.”
