A new group called the Ash People (Na’vi clan) debuts in the trailer of James Cameron’s Avatar 3, the third instalment in the popular film franchise, dropped by the makers on Monday.
Starring Zoe Saldaña and Sam Worthington, Avatar: Fire and Ash, the sequel to 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, will arrive in theatres on December 19.
The two-minute-25-second long video shows a fearsome, soot-covered tribe who dance around a giant fire pit. Jake Sully’s family teams up with the Metkayina clan to battle Varang and her destructive army, who have now formed an alliance with Quaritch (played by Stephen Lang). Varang wields the power to control fire, unleashing flames that devastate sections of Pandora’s lush forest. The video ends with her declaring, “Your goddess holds no power here.”
Avatar, the first film of the franchise, was released in 2009, followed by its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, which came out in 2022.
Fire and Ash was filmed back-to-back with The Way of Water, which depicted the ongoing conflict between humans and the Na’vi following the return of the ruthless Resources Development Administration (RDA) to Pandora.
In The Way of Water, Jake Sully (Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldaña) successfully defended the aquatic Metkayina clan and the whale-like Tulkuns against an RDA assault. However, the victory came at a steep cost, as their eldest son was killed and the RDA remained a formidable presence on Pandora.
The upcoming film will pick up after the events of The Way of Water. Oona Chaplin of Game of Thrones fame will portray Varang, the leader of the Ash People. David Thewlis and Michelle Yeoh will also be joining the cast for the sequel.
Returning alongside Worthington and Saldaña are Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco and Dileep Rao.
Both Avatar and Avatar: Way of Water are among the top-five highest-grossing movies of all time — Avatar tops the list with a lifetime collection of USD 2.9 billion, while Way of Water is in the spot with earnings to the tune of USD 2.3 billion.
