Avatar 3 release date, cast, story, and everything else you need to know

Avatar 3 is heading to the big screen in only a few months, and here we've gathered everything there is to know about it, from the complete cast list to the first Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer. James Cameron's popular saga is back with a highly anticipated threequel that will see the Na'vi go to war.

If you need a refresher on the story before the new movie arrives, the second installment, Avatar: The Way of Water, is getting a 3D re-release in cinemas from October 3 for one week only. Make sure to get up to date, as Avatar 3 is set to closely follow the events of the Avatar 2 ending while introducing new challenges for Jake and Neytiri's family.

We already know that Avatar 4 and 5 are on the schedule and James Cameron is even thinking of expanding the franchise with an animated anthology series, so there's a lot still ahead. For now, check out our guide on Avatar 3 release date, cast list, plot, trailers and more. One of this year's most exciting upcoming movies, keep reading for all the information about your next trip to Pandora.

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.

Before the third movie arrives in cinemas, Avatar: The Way of Water is re-releasing on the big screen from October 3, 2025, for one week only.

Avatar 3 trailer

Avatar: Fire and Ash | Official Trailer - YouTube

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With the movie only a few months away, we finally got an Avatar: Fire and Ash first trailer on July 28, and it was as spectacular as we were expecting. The footage played exclusively before Fantastic Four screenings during the Marvel film's release weekend, but it was released only a few days later. You can watch it above.

In the trailer, we reunite with Jake and Neytiri's family, which seems more fractured than ever. Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) are dealing with grief, but they will have to deal with planet-changing problems in Pandora. The images offer a glimpse into an incoming Na'vi war, where the "Ash People," a fire-based Na'vi clan also known as the Mangkwan Clan, will be key.

Early press reactions for the trailer predicted that Avatar 3 will be the "biggest movie of 2025." Journalists praised the "stunning visuals, giving us glimpses of the new volcanic environments", and they point at a vibe shift for the threequel, as "the world of Pandora feels darker and meaner, more aggressive" in this new movie.

Before we got a first trailer, first-look footage did play behind closed doors at CinemaCon to raves from the audience.

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."

As for what that hardship might be, production designer Dylan Cole has dropped some hints. "[The Mangkwan] had a natural disaster befall them, and that sort of helped shape their culture," he told Empire. "So much of the world of Pandora is rich and vibrant and full of life – this is just the exact opposite. They used to live not too dissimilarly to the Omatikaya from Avatar 1." You can see the first look at the Mangkwan's Ash Village below.

The Mangkwan were originally going to be introduced in Avatar: The Way of Water, but they ultimately decided to leave it for the threequel.

"In a nutshell, we had too many great ideas packed into act one of movie 2. The [film] was moving like a bullet train, and we weren’t drilling down enough on character. So I said, "Guys, we’ve got to split it.'," Cameron told Empire.

Cameron 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."

A first look at Neytiri has also been unveiled by Empire magazine, with Cameron calling Zoe Saldaña "incandescent."

One thing it seems is for certain is that the movie won't contain any generative AI. An attendee at a Q&A event with Cameron in New Zealand shared the following on Twitter: "James Cameron revealed that Avatar: Fire and Ash will begin with a title card after the 20th Century and Lightstorm logos that 'no generative AI was used in the making of this movie'."

We also know that the length will be akin to The Way of Water, since Cameron has teased that the runtimes will be similar, but Avatar 3 is set to be a little bit longer. That means the threequel could be over three hours and 12 minutes long, though nothing has been confirmed just yet.

First reactions to the movie have been extremely positive, too, according to the director. "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," he told Stuff NZ. Plus, Disney CEO Bob Iger has called an early cut "absolutely breathtaking."

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.