Avatar, director James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi epic about blue aliens on the distant moon of Pandora, is the highest-grossing movie of all time, with nearly $3 billion earned at the box office. Its sequel, 2022's The Way of Water, is the third highest-grossing, with $2.3 billion to its name. You can bet Disney is going to want to milk this. There are three more sequels planned. The next movie is due out in 2025. And now we have a title: Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Just announced at #D23, our title for the next Avatar film:
— Avatar (@officialavatar) August 10, 2024
Avatar: Fire and Ash. Get ready to journey back to Pandora, in theaters December 19, 2025. pic.twitter.com/gZkCCsTl9x
Cameron revealed the title this weekend at D23, Disney's yearly celebration of itself. There wasn't any footage, but attendees did see some concept art of Neytiri (Saldaña) riding a banshee, some huge airships, and a look at the Ash People, a tribe of Na’vi aliens who are a little more violent and warlike than what we're used to. Oona Chaplin, whom Game of Thrones may remember as Robb Stark's doomed wife Talisa, will play Varang, the leader of the Ash People. Harry Potter veteran David Thewlis and Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh are also joining the cast. “There are new characters, one especially I think you’re gonna love, or love to hate,” Cameron said. Could be any of them.
The movie will also see the return of cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco and Dileep Rao. “You’ll see a lot more Pandora that you never saw before,” Cameron said, according to Variety. “It’s an insane adventure and a feast for the eyes, but it’s also got very high emotional stakes, more than ever before. We’re going into really challenging territory for all the characters you know and love.”
Disney is also planning an Avatar-themed section of its Disneyland theme park, according to TheWrap. Again, there are two Avatar movies and they're the first and third highest-grossing movies of all time. Once Disney got ahold of the Avatar franchise after it bought 20th Century Fox in 2019, this kind of expansion was inevitable.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is due out in theaters on December 19, 2025.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.