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‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ first trailer reveals a dazzling return to war-torn Pandora — and it’s ignited the internet
Disney has officially revealed the stunning first trailer for James Cameron’s next “Avatar” film, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which is set to hit theaters on December 19, 2025, three years after “Avatar: The Way of the Water.”
Footage of the trailer leaked online after it appeared exclusively in theaters alongside “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” over the weekend. Now, Disney has posted the trailer for “Avatar: Fire and Ash” online for everyone to see just how epic this threequel looks — and the internet is ablaze with hype.
With glimpses at new tribes, characters, and formidable threats, the trailer delivers a powerful taste of the next sweeping and visually dazzling chapter in the Avatar saga. And it’s clear that “Fire and Ash” will be the most intense entry in the series yet.
You can check out the “Avatar: Fire and Ash” trailer below.
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The footage indicates that James Cameron hasn’t strayed far from his signature storytelling style — and why would he? When a formula’s already made billions at the box office, you don’t mess with it.
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family face their greatest foe yet in Varang (Oona Chaplin), the ferocious leader of the Mangkwan, also known as the Ash People. The Mangkwan are shown as a battle-hardened and power-hungry clan, wielding fire with precision. In the trailer, they’re seen shooting fire from their fingertips, launching blazing arrows, and torching parts of the forest.
Their domain is striking and unforgiving, marked by scorched earth and a massive volcano. It’s a stark contrast from the aquatic homeland of the Metkayina clan we saw introduced in “Avatar: The Way of Water.” In one particularly ominous moment, Varang tells a captive Kiri (Sigourney Weaver): “Your goddess has no dominion here.”
As the threat of all-out war rages, for the first time, we start to see deep divisions emerge among the Na’vi. Jake Sully’s family and the Metkayina will have to join forces to have any chance of stopping the Mangkwan’s path of destruction.
There’s also the return of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), now in his Avatar form, who ventures alone into Mangkwan territory and appears to side with the villains based on the red, white, and black war paint on his face
In addition to Lang and Worthington, “Fire and Ash” cast members include Zoe Saldaña, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Giovanni Ribisi, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Matt Gerald, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Bailey Bass, Jemaine Clement and David Thewlis.
The official description of “Fire and Ash” reads: “Jake and Neytiri’s family grapples with grief after Neteyam’s death, encountering a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Ash People, who are led by the fiery Varang, as the conflict on Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges.”
Fans can’t wait to return to Pandora
“Avatar” fans are already raving about the trailer across social media. In just a few hours, the trailer has chalked up nearly 1 million views.
One film critic wrote on X: “The visuals are (somehow) on another level. There is no doubt in my mind that this WILL be the biggest movie of 2025, and ‘epic’ doesn’t feel like it does this trailer justice.” Another critic said it was “some of the most beautiful footage I’ve seen all year [and I was] struck by the real sense of doom and rage — fist fights inside of cosmic volcanoes, heroes terrified, huge aerial battles.”
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” will premiere in theaters on December 19, 2025. It’s the third in a series of five “Avatar” movies Cameron plans to direct. At the moment, “Avatar 4” is set for December 21, 2029, and “Avatar 5” will arrive December 19, 2031.
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