Avatar 3 is finally arriving in cinemas this year under the official title Avatar: Fire and Ash, and it's going to surprise fans. At least according to director James Cameron, who recently teased some "brave choices" for the threequel, and his desire to "break the mold" of what came before. Well now we can't wait to see it!
Ahead of its release in late 2025, we've compiled everything you need to know about Avatar 3 release date, confirmed cast, plot, first-look images, and more. Fans learned the way of the water, and now it's time to dive into the fire of Pandora.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is one of 2025's most exciting upcoming movies, following the massive box-office success of Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water. As well as reuniting us with Jake, Neytiri, and the rest of their family, the third movie will introduce viewers to the mysterious Ash People, also known as the Mangkwan Clan.
If this new film is anything like Avatar 2, we may be looking forward to a new addition to our list of the best alien movies of all time, and perhaps a new record-breaking hit from James Cameron.
For now, we've broken down everything there is to know about Avatar 3 release date, what's known about the plot so far, and the confirmed cast list. Get up to speed on your return to Pandora, because it seems like everything is about to change in the saga.
Avatar 3 release date
The Avatar 3 release date is December 19, 2025. That's three years after Avatar: The Way of Water, and 16 years after the first Avatar. The threequel has been delayed nine times total, pushed back 10 years from its original 2015 release date.
Avatar 3 trailer: when will we get one?
With the movie still almost a year away, we're unlikely to get a trailer for Avatar 3 for some time yet. The first Way of Water teaser debuted in May 2022, so we can expect Avatar 3 to follow a similar timeline and drop a trailer sometime this spring.
Avatar 3 plot
So far, not much is known about the Avatar 3 plot just yet. The main thing we know is that we're going to be introduced to the Ash People, AKA the Mangkwan Clan. They're led by Varang, played by Oona Chaplin. "Varang is the leader of a people who have gone through an incredible hardship. She's hardened by that," director James Cameron told Empire magazine. "She will do anything for them, even things that we would consider to be evil."
"One thing we wanted to do in this film is not be black-and-white simplistic," he added. "We're trying to evolve beyond the 'all humans are bad, all Na'vi are good' paradigm."
He also teased that the movie will go to some unexpected places. "We're just starting to riff on it and twist it and turn it," he told Empire. "It's a tricky thing. We could be getting high on our own supply here, and everybody who looks at it goes, 'Fuck, that's not what I signed up for.' But if you're not making brave choices, you're wasting everybody’s time and money. That alone is not sufficient to create success, but it's necessary. You've got to break the mold every fricking time."
We also know that whatever story is in store for us, it will probably be as long as Way of Water was, since Cameron has teased that the runtimes will be similar to the last movie. With that in mind, Avatar 3 could have a runtime of three hours and 12 minutes. However, we are still waiting for a full confirmation, so stay tuned for updates.
Avatar 3 cast
The Avatar 3 cast is a mix of returning actors and newcomers:
- Sam Worthington – Jake Sully
- Zoe Saldaña – Neytiri
- Sigourney Weaver – Kiri
- Britain Dalton – Lo'ak
- Trinity Jo-Li Bliss – Tuktirey
- Jack Champion – Spider
- Kate Winslet – Ronal
- Cliff Curtis – Tonowari
- Bailey Bass – Tsireya
- Filip Geljo – Ao'nung
- Duane Evans Jr. – Rotxo
- CCH Pounder – Mo'at
- David Thewlis – Peylak
- Oona Chaplin – Varang
- Joel David Moore – Dr. Norm Spellman
- Stephen Lang – Colonel Miles Quaritch
- Giovanni Ribisi – Parker Selfridge
- Edie Falco – General Frances Ardmore
- Brendan Cowell – Captain Mick Scoresby
- Jemaine Clement – Dr. Ian Garvin
- Dileep Rao – Dr. Max Patel
- Matt Gerald – Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
That's a wrap on Avatar 3. For more, check out our guide to this year's major upcoming movie release dates to fill out your watchlist.
