‘Avatar: Fire and Ash': Everything to know about James Cameron's return to Pandora ahead of this week's trailer premiere

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Are you ready to go back to Pandora? Titanic maestro James Cameron is here to make sure you book your round trip ticket to his alien world now. The first trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash — due in theaters on Dec. 19 — will hit the big screen this weekend as Fantastic Four: First Steps takes flight. And unlike its predecessor, The Way of Water, we haven't had to long to wait. 13 years separated the first two Avatar adventures, but there's only been a three-year gap between the second and third installments.
Still, it's understandable if you're in need of a refresher about that past, present and future of Cameron's corner of the galaxy. Here's everything you need to know about Fire and Ash before you catch the trailer in theaters.
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What's been happening on Pandora?
First discovered by mankind in the latter half of the 21st century, the first terrestrial colonizers touched down on the Alpha Centauri System moon during the 22nd century. Among those waves of settlers is Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), an ex-Marine who has been confined to a wheelchair since injuring his spine in battle. But Jake gets the chance to walk again when he takes part in the Avatar program — a next-gen scientific operation overseen by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) whereby human minds are uploaded into bodies cloned from Pandora's native people, the Na'vi.
Jake is tasked with infiltrating a tribe of tree-dwelling Na'vi, but abandons the mission as he gets to know their culture and falls in love with the clan's best warrior, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). The first movie ends with the duo guiding the Na'vi to victory over Earth's corporate-backed militants — led by Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) — and getting hitched. The Way of Water then jumps ahead 16 years and find them overseeing a brood of four kids, including adopted daughter, Kira, who has the face and voice of Dr. Augustine, who died during the course of the original film.
But Earth naturally isn't about to let their intergalactic investment go to waste: A new army returns led by the dead Quaritch's own Na'vi avatar, forcing Jake and Neytiri to take their family on the run. They find temporary refuge with the aquatic Metkayina clan, overseen by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet), but are inevitably forced to go on the offensive. The resulting battle claims one of their own — eldest son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters). The film ends in a stalemate as both sides mourn their losses ... and prepare for the battle to begin again.
What's happening in Fire and Ash?
Full details about the Fire and Ash's story are scarcer to come by than the Heart of the Ocean. But we do know that the third movie introduces us to an all-new Na'vi tribe — and this particular group is unlike any we've met before. Dubbed the "Ash Clan," they live in a particularly volcanic region of Pandora's diverse ecosystem and have little to no affinity for the planet's other residents. Their leader is Varang (Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin best known for her role as Game of Thrones' Talisa Maegyr, slain alongside husband Robb Stark in "The Red Wedding" episode) and Cameron has warned that she's a particularly formidable opponent for our heroes.
"Varang is the leader of a people who have gone through an incredible hardship. She's hardened by that," Cameron told Empire magazine earlier this year. "She will do anything for them — even things that we would consider to be evil."
Gold Derby saw Varang's forces in action earlier this year during CinemaCon, when Disney screened an extended battle sequence from the film that unfolds in the skies over Pandora. The scene features Cameron's typically grand action choreography, as well as new airships and weapons. Interestingly, that footage also was projected in the high-frame-rate format that the director favors, but has proven controversial among viewers.
What's happening next on Pandora?
Cameron filmed the entirety of the second and third Avatar installments back-to-back in New Zealand between 2017 and 2020. But he also shot select scenes for a planned fourth film with the younger actors, as the next installment will reportedly feature a notable time jump. The still-untitled Avatar 4 is set for release on Dec. 21, 2029, followed by a fifth installment on Dec. 19, 2031.
"Avatar 4 and 5 are both written," the director told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. "We even have some of 4 in the can. We've begun a franchise at this point. We've begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films."
Along with a time jump, the next part of the Avatar saga will also see a location switch. Producer Jon Landau teased to Gizmodo three years ago that the fifth film will bring the action home to Earth. "There is a section of the story where we go to Earth, and we go to it to open people's eyes, open Neytiri's eyes, to what exists [there]," he said. "Just like you're defined by the choices you make in life, not all humans are bad. Not all Na'vi are good. And that's the case here on Earth. And we want to expose Neytiri to that." (Landau died in 2024.)
The next two movies will also feature a new human face in the cast: Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh joins the franchise as Dr. Karina Mogue, a scientist with ambiguous intentions. Although Yeoh was previously photographed on set during the production of Fire and Ash, Cameron later clarified that her character won't enter the frame until the fourth film. That gives us all something to look forward to during the four year break between Pandora flights.
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