James Cameron On Avatar 3: “People Might Say, ‘That’s Not What I Signed Up For'”

Avatar 3: Fires and Ash is set to be released in theaters on December 19, 2025.

Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron has heightened the anticipation for Avatar 3: Fires and Ash by teasing that it could be the boldest installment in the Avatar franchise to date.

In an interview with the U.K.’s Empire Magazine, he discussed what fans can expect from the latest chapter. Rather than repeating the successes of the first two films, the director revealed his intention to make “brave choices” that might take audiences by surprise.

He said, “It’s a tricky thing. We could be getting high on our own supply here, and everybody who looks at it [the new film] goes, ‘F-, 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 time.”

James also promised intense action sequences that will push boundaries, offering thrilling moments that will “take audiences to places they won’t expect.” He assured, however, that these surprises will feel earned and meaningful. 

“We’ve got some really clever action set-pieces. You can get your blood up in this movie. But what excites me as an artist who recently turned 70 and has kind of done all that stuff is not only the opportunity to get to do it again, but to get to a level of character and intrigue you haven’t seen before in an Avatar movie,” he added.

The director also shared his confidence about the film’s progress, revealing that Avatar 3 is in “strong shape,” especially when compared to the production pace of Avatar: The Way of Water. 

He shared, “We’ve doubled the number of shots finished at this stage of the game than we had on movie two (and) the films are about equal length. So that puts us well ahead of the curve, which is something I’ve never, frankly, experienced before. We’re getting to the point where we’re actually getting good at this.”

Avatar 3: Fires and Ash is set to be released in theaters on December 19, 2025.