James Cameron has revealed the official title for Avatar 3.
Cameron has been hard at work on his four Avatar sequels for years now, and in December 2022, the gamble of whether the world wanted to revisit the world of Pandora paid off when sequel Avatar: The Way of Water became one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
With takings of $2.3bn (£1.8bn), it sits two spots behind 2009’s first Avatar film, which is the number one spot with $2.9bn (£2.2bn).
Cameron has three more Avatar films to unveil over the next 10 years, and the next one will arrive in December 2025.
On Friday (9 August), at D23 in California – an event showcasing forthcoming Disney films – Cameron, alongside the film’s stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña, revealed the film would be called Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Cameron told the audience: “I came 7,000 miles from New Zealand for this,” but said there were no clips ready to show.
He then teased what fans can expect from the film.
“High emotional stakes. New cultures and settings. You’ll see more of Pandora the planet than you ever saw before. The new film isn’t what you expect, but it’s definitely what you want.”
Cameron previously revealed what fans could expect from the third film, explaining that it will explore “different cultures from those I have already shown”.
In the first and second parts of the film, viewers were introduced to two different Na’vi clans, the Omaticaya and the Metkayina.
In both Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water, the Omaticaya and the Metkayina clans are peaceful tribes and only resort to violence when their land is seized by humans.
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However, Cameron has revealed that the next film will see the fire side of these tribes, which “will be represented by the ‘Ash people’.
He told France’s 20 Minutes: “I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides,” he explained.
“In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples.“ In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite. We will also explore new worlds, while continuing the story of the main characters.
“I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal.”
The final two Avatar films will be released in December 2029 and December 2031, respectively.