‘Avatar: Fire and Ash': Everything to know about James Cameron's return to Pandora ahead of this week's trailer premiere
Still, it's understandable if you're in need of a refresher about that past, present and future of Cameron's corner of the galaxy. Here's everything you need to know about Fire and Ash before you catch the trailer in theaters.
More from Gold Derby
Why Carrie Coon's Emmy chances for 'The White Lotus' will be helped by 'The Gilded Age'
Malcolm-Jamal Warner dead at 54: Remembering his undersung, award-winning post-'Cosby Show' career
What's been happening on Pandora?
First discovered by mankind in the latter half of the 21st century, the first terrestrial colonizers touched down on the Alpha Centauri System moon during the 22nd century. Among those waves of settlers is Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), an ex-Marine who has been confined to a wheelchair since injuring his spine in battle. But Jake gets the chance to walk again when he takes part in the Avatar program — a next-gen scientific operation overseen by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) whereby human minds are uploaded into bodies cloned from Pandora's native people, the Na'vi.
Jake is tasked with infiltrating a tribe of tree-dwelling Na'vi, but abandons the mission as he gets to know their culture and falls in love with the clan's best warrior, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña). The first movie ends with the duo guiding the Na'vi to victory over Earth's corporate-backed militants — led by Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) — and getting hitched. The Way of Water then jumps ahead 16 years and find them overseeing a brood of four kids, including adopted daughter, Kira, who has the face and voice of Dr. Augustine, who died during the course of the original film.
But Earth naturally isn't about to let their intergalactic investment go to waste: A new army returns led by the dead Quaritch's own Na'vi avatar, forcing Jake and Neytiri to take their family on the run. They find temporary refuge with the aquatic Metkayina clan, overseen by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and Ronal (Kate Winslet), but are inevitably forced to go on the offensive. The resulting battle claims one of their own — eldest son, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters). The film ends in a stalemate as both sides mourn their losses ... and prepare for the battle to begin again.
What's happening in Fire and Ash?
Full details about the Fire and Ash's story are scarcer to come by than the Heart of the Ocean. But we do know that the third movie introduces us to an all-new Na'vi tribe — and this particular group is unlike any we've met before. Dubbed the "Ash Clan," they live in a particularly volcanic region of Pandora's diverse ecosystem and have little to no affinity for the planet's other residents. Their leader is Varang (Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin best known for her role as Game of Thrones' Talisa Maegyr, slain alongside husband Robb Stark in "The Red Wedding" episode) and Cameron has warned that she's a particularly formidable opponent for our heroes.
"Varang is the leader of a people who have gone through an incredible hardship. She's hardened by that," Cameron told Empire magazine earlier this year. "She will do anything for them — even things that we would consider to be evil."
Gold Derby saw Varang's forces in action earlier this year during CinemaCon, when Disney screened an extended battle sequence from the film that unfolds in the skies over Pandora. The scene features Cameron's typically grand action choreography, as well as new airships and weapons. Interestingly, that footage also was projected in the high-frame-rate format that the director favors, but has proven controversial among viewers.
What's happening next on Pandora?
Cameron filmed the entirety of the second and third Avatar installments back-to-back in New Zealand between 2017 and 2020. But he also shot select scenes for a planned fourth film with the younger actors, as the next installment will reportedly feature a notable time jump. The still-untitled Avatar 4 is set for release on Dec. 21, 2029, followed by a fifth installment on Dec. 19, 2031.
"Avatar 4 and 5 are both written," the director told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. "We even have some of 4 in the can. We've begun a franchise at this point. We've begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films."
Along with a time jump, the next part of the Avatar saga will also see a location switch. Producer Jon Landau teased to Gizmodo three years ago that the fifth film will bring the action home to Earth. "There is a section of the story where we go to Earth, and we go to it to open people's eyes, open Neytiri's eyes, to what exists [there]," he said. "Just like you're defined by the choices you make in life, not all humans are bad. Not all Na'vi are good. And that's the case here on Earth. And we want to expose Neytiri to that." (Landau died in 2024.)
The next two movies will also feature a new human face in the cast: Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh joins the franchise as Dr. Karina Mogue, a scientist with ambiguous intentions. Although Yeoh was previously photographed on set during the production of Fire and Ash, Cameron later clarified that her character won't enter the frame until the fourth film. That gives us all something to look forward to during the four year break between Pandora flights.
Best of Gold Derby
Everything to know about 'The Batman 2': Returning cast, script finalized
Tom Cruise movies: 17 greatest films ranked worst to best
'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin')
Click here to read the full article.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Steve Horton: We could all use Superman's ‘poptimism' of hope
The world is a pretty bleak place at the moment. Around the globe, it doesn't seem much better. Amid all of this turmoil, with humanity seemingly at one of its lowest points, we could really use a Superman in our lives. In fact, we've never yearned for such a person to be real as much as we do now. Instead, we got the next best thing: James Gunn's 'Superman,' a bastion of hope on the silver screen, about the best example of what analysts call 'poptimism' that we're ever likely to find: optimism in pop culture in the face of doom all around us. See him stop wars! See him rescue kids and squirrels! See him take down a bald technocrat billionaire! (Whose look predates a couple of egg-shaped billionaires we're contending with now.) And soon after, we've got Superman times four, with 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' featuring Marvel's beloved First Family. This one's an equally optimistic throwback story with the fabulous foursome up against Galactus, the devourer of worlds, who could be seen in this day and age as a metaphor for climate change. In the recent past, superheroes on the big and small screen have tended to be quite dark and cynical, perhaps as a contrary response to the 'hope and change' Barack Obama era. 'The Boys' and 'Invincible' are deliberately satirical and bloody. The 'Spider-Verse' movies are on a yearslong cliffhanger with the hero captured by his dark alternate self. Even Superman was not immune: 'Man of Steel' featured a dark blue suit and a neck-snapping climax. It seems that as the world makes a running dash down a Slip 'N Slide toward fascism, much of our pop culture, from music and television to streaming and big-screen movies, is going hard toward bright and sunny, to shine a little light in the darkness, provide a much-needed escape and show all of us how things could be, if only we tried a little harder. Even shows such as 'Ted Lasso' deal with the concept of toxic positivity or going too far toward being positive that you fail to deal with real problems. In the yawning void that is the absence of Superman in our own world, and in between forays into fiction where he exists, it behooves us to act more like Superman in our own little corners of the world. What would the Fantastic Four or Superman do? Superman's three pillars these days (revised in the comics after it seemed a bit jingoistic to have him care at all about the American Way, whatever that is): Seeing an uplifting film about an immigrant refugee who gets the job done or a fantastic foursome that watches over humanity makes us look for bright spots elsewhere in our current worldview. For example, the undeniable rizz of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. It inspires us to try to look for silver linings wherever we can, no matter how tiny. In the absence of much leadership from the resistance side of things against creeping authoritarianism, or many real-life role models or leaders who are interested in anything other than holding on to their own jobs, pop culture like 'Superman' shows us the way.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Galactus actor Ralph Ineson reveals the impressive practical costume he wore for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but the wholesome story behind his homemade version might be even better
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's been no secret for some time that Ralph Ineson wore a full, practical Galactus costume to film his scenes in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and now, the actor himself has revealed a behind-the-scenes look from the blockbuster film showing exactly what the costume he wore on set looks like. Here's the post: Ineson's incredibly detailed MCU costume perfectly captures the essence of the comic book version (aside from his admittedly adorable Yoda socks). But that's not all. Included in the image is Ineson's own daughter who is wearing a Galactus helmet herself - one that she made by hand as a gift for Ineson when he got the part. For what it's worth, Ineson's Galactus is even more impressive in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, delivering what may be the most comic accurate portrayal of a character in the MCU, an especially great feat considering his funky Silver Age design. Indeed, the film captured Marvel's First Family just about as closely as may be possible in a film. And with its focus on the FF as a family, it's especially endearing that Ralph Ineson's daughter was so involved in her dad's time as Galactus. I'd be incredibly proud and excited too. What's interesting is that, in comics, Galactus does indeed have a daughter, Galacta, who has mostly been seen in alt-reality stories. She's recently gotten some attention thanks to her role as the announcer in the smash-hit video game Marvel Rivals. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters, kicking off Marvel Phase 6. For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and shows and how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
New MCU Galactus concept art reveals that the terrifying Fantastic Four: First Steps character was comic accurate from the start, and I couldn't love it more
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The original MCU concept art for The Fantastic Four: First Steps villain Galactus has been revealed by its artist, Ryan Meinerding in an interview with Variety about his process in coming up with the designs. The newly unveiled art makes it clear that the MCU Galactus was always planned to be comic accurate from the start - something I truly appreciate - and that it the design specifically aims at capturing the legendary Jack Kirby's all-time-great art. Check it out: "There was a lot of work on Galactus, trying to figure out the appropriate scale and how he's going to be experienced for the first time, and we did key frames surrounding that. But Galactus was a complete joy to work on," Meinerding, who is creative director and head of visual development at Marvel Studios as well as a character designer. "He was challenging to try to get as much detail on. He was meant to be one of those cosmic characters that you almost can't fully appreciate how big he is. We also stayed close to the Kirby design. So I'd say that out of the designs I worked on, Galactus and The Thing are probably two of the most Kirby-inspired characters I've ever been able to work on." The film's fidelity to the fantastic sci-fi visuals of Jack Kirby, who created the entire visual language of the Fantastic Four (and revolutionized comic art in the process), is one of the best things about it. I felt the sense of charming awe and cosmic wonder that the comics bring conveyed on the big screen in a way I didn't think was quite possible. And as it turns out, Meinerding's beautifully faithful concept art is a big part of that success. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters, kicking off Marvel Phase 6. For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and shows and how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Solve the daily Crossword
