New concept art for Avatar 3: Fire and Ash has been released, offering a glimpse into the highly anticipated third instalment in James Cameron’s Avatar franchise. The film follows Jake Sully and his family as they leave the Omatikaya clan after the events of Avatar: The Way of Water and join the nomadic Metkayina clan.
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A massive budget and extended runtime
With a budget of $250 million, Fire and Ash was filmed alongside The Way of Water, beginning in 2017 and wrapping in 2020. James Cameron previously revealed that the initial cut of the film was an astonishing nine hours long, with some footage intended for Avatar 4 and Avatar 5.
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In an interview with Empire, Cameron confirmed that Fire and Ash will be the longest film in the franchise, surpassing The Way of Water, which had a runtime of three hours and twelve minutes. “In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie two," Cameron explained. "The film was moving like a bullet train, and we weren’t drilling down enough on character. So I said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to split it.’ Movie 3 will actually be a little bit longer than Movie 2.”
EXCLUSIVE 💧
— Empire (@empiremagazine) March 7, 2025
Lo’ak rides an ilu in new #Avatar: Fire And Ash concept art.
Fire And Ash was “split” from The Way Of Water in the writing process because “we had too many great ideas” to pack into a single film, James Cameron tells Empire.
READ MORE: https://t.co/JeHqCGJfGH pic.twitter.com/0SCWNGlm7d
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New and returning cast
New additions to the cast include David Thewlis as Peylak, the chieftain of the Wind Traders tribe, and Oona Chaplin as Varang, the leader of the Ash People. Returning cast members include Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Kate Winslet, and Cliff Curtis.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to hit theatres worldwide on December 19, 2025.
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