Who’s ready to return to Pandora? Across Avatar and its belated follow-up Avatar: The Way Of Water, cinematic master James Cameron has taken audiences into the lush jungles, crystal waters, and serene skies of the verdant Na’vi moon – and at the end of 2025 he’s going to do it all over again with the third instalment in the series, Avatar: Fire And Ash. The next chapter of the Sully narrative will send Jake and Neytiri’s family into unfamiliar terrain, encountering a fresh crop of Na’vi with their own affinity to the land – and things might not go as swimmingly as they (finally) did with The Way Of Water’s ocean-loving Metkayina.
The current issue of Empire contains a brand new look at the forthcoming Avatar movie — along with a significant new James Cameron interview, all part of our Path To Pandora, giving you fresh Avatar updates throughout every single Empire issue of 2025. This month, it includes your finest look yet at concept art from the third film — including the top image, introducing the ‘Ash Clan’ and their terrible leader. “Varang is the leader of a people who have gone through an incredible hardship. She's toughened by it,” Cameron tells Empire of that central figure. “She will do anything for them, even things that we would consider to be evil,” he teases. “One thing we wanted to do in this film is not be black-and-white simplistic.” For once, it might not just be the human-led RDA generating the commotion. “We’re trying to evolve beyond the ‘all humans are bad, all Na’vi are good’ paradigm,” Cameron continues.
Varang is performed by Oona Chaplin, whose embodiment of her, Cameron adds, “is so good that I didn’t quite appreciate how good her performance is until we got the Wētā animation back.” Don’t expect many ‘I see you’s between her and Jake. “She’s an opponent, an adversarial character,” notes Cameron, “but [Chaplin] makes her feel so genuine and alive.”
New faces for the movie will also be the Wind Traders – see above – who ride great monstrous creatures of Pandora that fly high in the sky. “They are nomadic traders, which are the same as the camel caravans of the Spice Road in the Middle Ages,” Cameron continues. Just as I said, and you know, it is just fun. As with all the Na’vi, they are in harmony with their animals. Prepare to meander through the clouds like you will never again. “If you have any salt in your waters, you want to be on their team.” Cameron guarantees this fiercely. All aboard!
Read the complete James Cameron interview on the upcoming Avatar film in Empire's 28 Years Later magazine, on sale Thursday 16 January. Order a copy online here. The Path To Pandora continues every month in Empire - subscribe here to get the magazine every month and hear the newest Na’vi news. Avatar: Fire And Ash debuts to UK theaters from 19 December.
According to filmmaker James Cameron, mankind will no longer be the unambiguous evil guys attacking the normally peaceful Na'vi. "One thing we wanted to do in this film is not be black-and-white simplistic," the filmmaker told Empire. "We're trying to evolve beyond the 'all humans are bad, all Na'vi are good' paradigm.'"
Cameron also lauded Oona Chaplin for her performance as Varang, chief of the Ash People. "She is so good that I didn't quite appreciate how good her performance is until we got the Weta animation back," the filmmaker remarked. "Varang is the leader of a people that have gone through an extraordinary ordeal. She's toughened by that. She will do anything for them, even things that we would regard to be evil. She's an opponent, an adversarial figure, yet Chaplin makes her feel so genuine and alive."
Cameron went on to provide some insight into the Wind Traders who travel to the sky on the backs of giant Pandoran beasts. "They're nomadic traders, equivalent to the camel caravans of the Spice Road back in the Middle Ages," he remarked. "And you know, they're just entertaining. Like all Na'vi, they live in a symbiosis with their animals. If you've got any nautical blood in your veins, you'll want to be aboard their ship," the filmmaker added.
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Fire and Ash Introduces New Tribes
Fire and Ash is directed by Cameron from a screenplay which he co-wrote with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. The story line will also be set around Jake and his Neytiri and their family visiting a new region where they encounter a new Na’vi clan with a similar connection to the land. Some of whom includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, and Giovanni Ribisi who will also be from the old series of avatar movies whilst Chaplin and David Thewlis will be new into the movie.
Cameron earlier suggested to a more hostile Na'vi people, who were enraged owing to circumstances. "The new Na'vi have a lot of anger and a lot of rage," he stated regarding the Fire Tribe. "They were wrecked by volcanic explosions, so they despise nature and all the forest Na'vi [people] preach. For me, fire represents confusion, devastation. The new tribe is the reverse of the other ones - whereas they signified a connection with nature, the fire tribe signifies separation," he continued.
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