James Cameron teases villainous Na’vi in Avatar 3

Avatar: The Way of Water continues to dominate the box office, netting another $86.3 million over the New Years holiday weekend to bring its global gross earnings up to $1.4 billion just 14 days since its release. The long-awaited sequel to James Cameron’s Avatar introduces the Metkayina tribe of Na’vi, who live on the shores of the ocean. While the first movie brought us deep into the wilds of Pandora’s forests, the second submerged us beneath the waves to reveal an underwater world filled with wonders.

“We had to create our own version of an underwater fauna and flora that is in the process of destruction,” creator and director James Cameron told French media outlet 20 Minutes last month. “We were inspired by coral reefs, an environment that is familiar to me as a diving enthusiast. I wanted to create a universe based on what I know but which has its own life. Nothing religious but a force directed by nature.”

In order to bring that primal underwater landscape to life, Cameron called on a number of artists who worked on the original Avatar, people he considered “the best of the best.”

"I divided the teams into two, one of them was in charge of the world of Humans and the military, the other was in charge of nature, animals and flora, everything that was the planet Pandora including its inhabitants. So there were two artistic departments, two worlds. They could say things like “My ships will destroy your creatures” or “My creatures will pulverize your machines”. It wasn’t really bad. We had a lot of fun…"

Avatar 3 will introduce the “Ash People” tribe of Na’vi

While the introduction of the Metkayina broadened the world of Pandora, there’s still plenty of room to expand. Cameron and his team have already filmed the third Avatar movie as well as part of the fourth. While we know virtually nothing about Avatar 4 (beyond that Cameron is very, very excited about it), the director teases some of the “different cultures” we’ll meet in the third film.

“The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People.’ I want to reveal the Nav’is from another angle because, for the moment, I have only shown their good sides,” Cameron said. “In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Navi’s examples. In Avatar 3 we will do the opposite.”

The third Avatar film, which is reportedly titled Avatar: The Seed Bearer, could be far more complicated if it included more villainous Na’vi. Although the second movie did hint at what a Na’vi vs. Na’vi confrontation might look like through the resurrection of Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) in a Na’vi avatar body.

Will David Thewlis play an evil Na’vi in Avatar: The Seed Bearer?

Harry Potter veteran David Thewlis has confirmed that he’s already filmed scenes for Avatar 3, and there are plans for his character to return in the fourth and fifth films should they get made. Is he playing one of the Ash People?

We won’t know for certain until we see Avatar: The Seed Bearer, which is slated to erupt into theaters on December 20, 2024.

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h/t Game Rant