Avatar 3 release date, cast & everything we know about Fire and Ash

With the Avatar 3 release date now just over a year away, audiences can expect to find themselves back in Pandora soon enough. Here’s what we know about Fire and Ash.

The latest Avatar movie, The Way of Water, was released in 2022 and became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Our Avatar 2 review called it “awe-inspiring,” but there’s more to come.

Cameron has long had his eyes set on multiple sequels, with Avatar 3, 4, and 5 in the works. The good news is, Avatar 3 is much closer than you might think, because it was filmed back-to-back with The Way of Water.

So, here’s what to expect from Jake Sully and the Na’vi this time around as we return to Pandora for the next fiery instalment of the sci-fi movie.

Avatar 3 release date

Avatar: Fire and Ash is coming to theaters on December 19, 2025.

The title was officially revealed at the 2024 D23 event. Cameron is clearly taking us through the elements, so don’t be surprised to see Avatar 4 and 5 connected to air and earth in some way.

The fourth film will follow on December 21, 2029, before Avatar 5 arrives on December 19, 2031.

James Cameron has aired caution over the chances of Avatar 4 and 5, citing the necessary box office performance to make them feasible for Disney.

Who’s in the cast?

Avatar 3 will bring back the main cast from the franchise, including Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, and Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri.

Fire and Ash will see plenty of new characters, with Cameron telling the crowd at D23: “There are new characters, one especially I think you’re gonna love, or love to hate.” Sounds like he’s cooking up an intriguing new villain!

Disney

Here’s the full Avatar 3 cast so far:

• Sam Worthington as Jake Sully
• Sigourney Weaver as Kiri
• Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri
• Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch
• CCH Pounder as Mo’at
• Cliff Curtis as Tonowari
• Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge
• Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel
• Joel David Moore as Dr. Norm Spellman
• Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore
• Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin
• Matt Gerald as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
• Oona Chaplin as Varang
• David Thewlis

It had been thought Michelle Yeoh would appear in Avatar 3 as a new character called Dr. Karina Mogue. However, it seems that information had been misreported, and she will actually first show up in Avatar 4.

Cameron himself set the record straight, revealing Yeoh has a role in the fourth and fifth Avatar movie. He told Entertainment Weekly: “She will be coming in soon to do her part, which is an interesting, fun character.”

What will the plot be?

While plot details for Avatar 3 haven’t been confirmed, the new movie will see Jake and his family meet the Ash People of the Na’vi.

Concept art of the Ash People, as well as images of Neytiri riding a banshee and airships, were revealed at D23, giving an idea of what Avatar: Fire and Ash might look like.

Further concept art was released at D23 Brazil, giving a more detailed look at the Ash People:

At the same event, Cameron said [via @cinepop] that the Ash People are “a reflection of the worst kind of N’avi.”

While a specific journey for the Sully family hasn’t yet been outlined, the tragic fallout of Neteyam’s death will surely be the focal point while war continues to brew.

Cameron has confirmed Jake won’t be the narrator in the third chapter. Although he led the charge in the first two acts, his eldest son Lo’ak will now be narrating film number three.

“Lo’ak really emerged as a character that people went with,” Cameron said on the ‘Soundtracking with Edith Bowman’ podcast. “He’s already the narrator. I’m giving away something here, but this is ok.”

Moving forward, this will be a trend that continues down the line. A new narrator will step up for each subsequent film, starting with Lo’ak in Avatar 3.

At D23, Cameron also revealed that audiences will “see a lot more Pandora that you never saw before. It’s an insane adventure and a feast for the eyes, but it’s also got very high emotional stakes, more than ever before. We’re going into really challenging territory for all the characters you know and love.”

Speaking to Rotten Tomatoes, Cameron explained the new title and how it could tie into the story. He said: “Fire can represent hatred, violence, trauma, possible misuse of power. Ash represents the aftermath of all of that energy, which is grief and having to live with what you’ve done.”

Is there a trailer?

No, there isn’t a trailer for Avatar 3 yet.

Although Avatar 3 is reportedly “in the can”, it’s not due out until late 2025, so don’t expect any footage until early 2025. Even then, we’re likely to only get a short clip or title card reveal.

Nine-hour cut is nonsense

James Cameron has disproved the rumor of a nine-hour-long rough cut of Avatar 3.

There was a claim the director had turned in a mammoth assembly cut, but that was nonsense. Cameron debunked this, clarifying to Temple of Geek: “There is no nine-hour rough cut! I would put a shotgun in my mouth if I ever did a nine-hour rough cut.

“No, what I said was that it’s nine hours of material, meaning Avatar 3, Avatar 4, and Avatar 5. That’s 3 hours a movie. Can you imagine? He would shoot me [points at producer Jon Landau].”

To get up to speed before the new movie, see our guides to the Avatar 2 cast and characters, The Way of Water ending explained, or the best way to watch Avatar 2.