James Cameron's wife cried for four hours after he showed her Avatar 3: "She kept trying to get her s**t back together"

Zoe Saldaña in Avatar
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

James Cameron has shared another early reaction to Avatar 3 – and it's yet more evidence Fire and Ash will be the most emotional movie in the franchise yet. Speaking in a new interview, the director says he showed his wife Suzy Amis Cameron a version of the movie from late 2024 and she could not stop crying.

"My wife watched the whole thing from end to end," Cameron told Empire magazine. "She had kept herself away from it and I wasn’t showing her bits and pieces as we went along. This was December 22nd."

He added: "She bawled for four hours. She kept trying to get her shit back together so she could tell me specific reactions, and then she’d just tear up and start crying again. Finally, I’m like, 'Honey, I’ve got to go to bed. Sorry, we’ll talk about it some other time'."

We don't know too much about what will happen in the third Avatar movie yet, but it will pick up in the aftermath of Avatar 2, which saw Neytiri and Jake lose one of their children. As well as tackling their grief, the movie will introduce the Ash People who have been impacted by changes to Pandora.

Cameron's wife isn't the only one he's shown a version of the movie too. He recently shared that he's shown it to a few people who have all had a very similar reaction. "I've shown it to a few selected people and the feedback has been it's definitely the most emotional and maybe the best of the three so far," Cameron told Stuff NZ.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to hit theaters on December 19, 2025. For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies coming in 2025 and beyond.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Zoe Saldana, as Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite looking at the camera during Avatar.
James Cameron has shown an early version of Avatar 3 to "a few people" and they say it's the best and most emotional entry in the series
Avatar
James Cameron says that Avatar 3 will make "brave choices" even if that means the audience going "f*** that's not what I signed up for"
Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar 3 release date, cast, story, and everything else you need to know
Zoe Saldaña in Avatar
James Cameron had "too many great ideas" for Avatar: The Way of Water, so the cut content became Avatar 3 which "will actually be a little bit longer" than its 3-hour predecessor
Avatar
First look at new Avatar 3 location is "the exact opposite" of the vibrant Pandora we saw in James Cameron's first two movies
Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron will reportedly open Avatar 3 with a title card saying no generative AI was used to make the movie
Latest in Fantasy Movies
Zoe Saldaña in Avatar
James Cameron's wife cried for four hours after he showed her Avatar 3: "She kept trying to get her s**t back together"
Charli XCX
Charlie XCX is in talks to star in Greta Gerwig’s The Chronicles of Narnia movie - and that is so Brat
Milla Jovovich in In the Lost Lands
Game of Thrones writer George R.R. Martin's In The Lost Lands could get an on-screen sequel, and Martin is apparently keen too
Dave Bautista in In the Lost Lands
Dave Bautista says playing a vampire is "at the top of my list" after starring in Resident Evil director’s werewolf fantasy In the Lost Lands
Sean Astin and Elijah Wood in The Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood gives unexpected answer on what movie should be removed from cinematic history: "There's nothing pure about it"
Dave Bautista in In the Lost Lands
Dave Bautista says "I always look to Clint Eastwood" when approaching a western role: "He's always going to be my gold standard"
Latest in News
Zoe Saldaña in Avatar
James Cameron's wife cried for four hours after he showed her Avatar 3: "She kept trying to get her s**t back together"
The Last of Us 2
The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann sounds like he's contemplating the end of his career: "When is it time to stop?"
Screenshot of Neil in Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says he chose Death Stranding 2's Solid Snake lookalike because he needed an actor who "would surpass" Mads Mikkelsen
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail Futures Unwritten Ultimate raid
As Final Fantasy 14 raiders tear through the MMO's hardest duty with no healers and then no tanks, the community can only see this going one way: "Now it's time to clear without DPS"
A meeting inside one of Chrono Cross' cathedrals
Square Enix remembers that Chrono Trigger exists, announcing various new projects as it celebrates the Dragon Ball, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest royalty behind the cult JRPG
Saitama in One-Punch Man season 3
A One-Punch Man controversy has erupted after it was revealed the divisive new season 3 trailer was the work of only one animator: "Morale isn't great right now"