Are you ready to go back to Pandora?
On Monday, July 21, Disney unveiled the visually arresting first trailer for James Cameron’s highly anticipated “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (in theaters Dec. 19), the third installment in his epic sci-fi series “Avatar.” The new footage was screened for journalists at the company’s palatial New York office, and will play ahead of Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” in theaters this weekend. The trailer is expected to land online July 28.
As the subtitle suggests, the third movie explores new corners of the planet Pandora, with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) venturing into an ashen wasteland and scaling a perilous volcano with adopted son Spider (Jack Champion). Soaring jellyfish-like creatures and red-painted Na’vi rivals are also newly in the mix, with a mysterious female warrior who faces off with fiercely protective matriarch Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña).
But true to form, Cameron teases plenty more Shakespearean drama, with glimpses of family in-fighting and Jake warning Neytiri that she can no longer live in hate. “If there’s something you can do, then you must do it,” Ronal (Kate Winslet), leader of a Na’vi water tribe, tearfully tells the young Kiri (Sigourney Weaver). And at one point, Jake appears to be captured and escorted by humans into a throng of reporters and photographers.
Reactions on social media were glowing across the board. Cameron “doesn’t miss,” wrote Bob Goochman of the Lights, Camera, Barstool podcast, while entertainment reporter Jonathan Sim called it “visually astounding” with “powerful action and a euphoric musical score.” Matt Neglia, editor-in-chief of awards site Next Best Picture, was similarly intrigued by what looks to be “a darker turning point for the story.”
“Fire and Ash” arrives three years after “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which itself hit theaters 13 years after the phenomenon of the first “Avatar.” Combined, the two “Avatar” movies have earned 13 Oscar nominations and four wins, both garnering nods for best picture.
“Avatar” is the highest-grossing film of all time with $2.9 billion worldwide, trailed by “Avengers: Endgame” ($2.8 billion) and “The Way of Water” ($2.3 billion) at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. “Fire and Ash” is the third of five planned “Avatar” movies, with new sequels expected in 2029 and 2031.
The film arrives less than a year after Saldaña won her first Oscar, taking best supporting actress for the controversial musical “Emilia Pérez,” about a Mexican cartel lord (Karla Sofía Gascón) who transitions.