Avatar: Fire and Ash is almost here, and there are many reasons to be excited following The Way of Water’s ambitious expansion of Pandora’s Na’vi culture and the higher stakes quickly established with the humans’ return. With the threequel set to hit theaters soon, here’s everything we know about it.
While the plans to expand the Avatar universe have been in the works for more than 15 years now, with Disney now in charge of running 20th Century Studios and its trove of science fiction IPs, things are getting much more ambitious. In fact, a massive 'Avatar Land' — similar to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge — was announced in 2024.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is coming in December 2025, and there are two further sequels planned. As it stands, Avatar 4 is set for December 21, 2029, and Avatar 5 should wrap the five-part saga on December 19, 2031. Meanwhile, the Frontiers of Pandora video game keeps growing with a third expansion pack arriving on December 19 alongside the movie.
Before venturing into the harsher parts of Pandora, make sure to check out our guides about the most striking Avatar spaceships and vehicles, as well as the creatures of Avatar (well, of the two Avatar movies released so far). We'll keep them updated in the future as James Cameron's ambitious sci-fi universe expands.
Avatar: Fire and Ash release date
Avatar: Fire and Ash is currently scheduled to release on December 19, 2025. That'll be almost three years to the day since The Way of Water took us back to Pandora.
Just like The Way of Water, it will release exclusively in cinemas across the globe, and stay a theatrical exclusive for a few months before eventually hitting Disney+, video on demand (VOD), and the physical home market.
Needless to say, IMAX and high-framerate 3D screenings will be the recommended theatrical experience after the second Avatar made a splash worldwide.
What is the plot of Avatar: Fire and Ash?
Spoilers for Avatar: The Way of Water and official marketing spoilers for Fire and Ash past this point.
Earth is rapidly dying, so the RDA-led humans are now planning to make Pandora their new home, which means even more trouble for the natives and wildlife of Polyphemus' moon. The Sullys fled to the oceanic parts of Pandora after Miles Quaritch – now a Recom – and his blue soldiers were tasked with rooting out the main Na'vi resistance group, which was also helped by rogue humans. After a massive battle, Quaritch was defeated, most of his soldiers were killed, and the Metkayina Clan scored a big win. But that was just the start of the incoming war for the fate of Pandora, and the Sullys lost their oldest son: Neteyam.
According to James Cameron himself, things are getting tougher for the Sullys in the upcoming sequels, starting with a blurrier definition of 'good' and 'bad' in Fire and Ash: "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." The first trailer appears to confirm they'll be siding with the humans to help them root out the Na'vi resistance. What humans are promising them is a mystery, but we wouldn't trust either group.
The filmmaker, who considers this massive saga the culmination of all his work over the decades, has also been teasing that things will only get messier and deeper as the story evolves and more characters come into play (Fire and Ash's trailers have already shown the Sully kids in grave danger again):
"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. 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," he told GQ in late 2023.
Needless to say, this includes Quaritch's ongoing (and surprisingly complex) character arc as he follows the RDA's orders while struggling to connect with his son, who's with the native team.
While the trailers have done a good job of keeping huge spoilers a secret, they’ve also given us a clearer picture of the general direction of the story. We know that Varang, played by Oona Chaplin, leads this new clan of Na'vi and is teaming up with Quaritch and the RDA, and the Na’vi resistance will have to grow in numbers to face a larger offensive together. The Way of Water's General Ardmore and certified Tulkun hater Captain Mick Scoresby are returning as well, and they're gonna have bigger boats and other deadly tricks up their sleeves.
The biggest shock comes from the fact that Spider, Quaritch’s son and protégé of the Sullys, is somehow gaining the ability to breathe Pandora’s air without a mask and connect with the animals like a Na’vi, which could be a game-changer for the human species’ huge colonization efforts.
Avatar: Fire and Ash trailers
The first Avatar 3 trailer, released on July 28, 2025, was a far longer and more exciting look at the movie than past Avatar teaser trailers. Running for almost two and a half minutes, it sets a darker mood and promises an epic three-way confrontation that could reshape Pandora's future. Watch it here:
On September 25, the second and more plot-heavy trailer arrived, painting a better picture of what to expect from the threequel, light spoilers included. If you don’t need convincing, this is the one you should skip. Considering how loaded it is, we’ll be very surprised if more full-length trailers arrive between now and release. Watch it here too:
Alongside this second trailer, Disney also shared a main poster for the movie that puts Varang and her fire at the center of the conflict, threatening to consume Pandora:
Avatar: Fire and Ash cast
Avatar: Fire and Ash's cast will once again be stacked with old and new faces. While we've yet to learn about the full roster of actors, there are plenty confirmed to show up: Sam Worthington (Jake Sully), Zoe Saldaña (Neytiri), Sigourney Weaver (Kiri), Britain Dalton (Lo'ak), Jack Champion (Spider), and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss (Tuk) remain the core of the difficult and troubled Sully family.
They're joined by Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore, Brendan Cowell as Captain Mick Scoresby, Matt Gerald as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, Kate Winslet as Ronal, Cliff Curtis as Tonowari, Bailey Bass as Tsireya, Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin, David Thewlis as Peylak, and last but not least, Oona Chaplin as Varang, among others.
We also know that Michelle Yeoh (Star Trek: Section 31, Everything Everywhere All At Once) is locked to appear in future movies, but the word is she won't factor in until Avatar 4.
Avatar: Fire and Ash director, writers, and crew
James Cameron is directing the third movie – and reportedly will handle 4 and 5 as well unless he gets "hit by a bus." The script was written by himself and the writing duo of Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), who also co-penned the second installment.
Russell Carpenter (Titanic) is handling the cinematography once again, with Simon Franglen composing the original music after taking over from the late James Horner for Avatar: The Way of Water. David Branner, Nicolas de Toth, John Refoua, and Stephen E. Rivkin are credited as co-editors on the threequel alongside Cameron himself.
Cameron and Jon Landau (who sadly passed away in the summer of 2024) serve as producers on Fire and Ash and all other Avatar installments — with 4 and 5 only waiting to be shot — through Lightstorm Entertainment. 20th Century Studios and Disney are handling the distribution.
