Zoe Saldaña provides a tease for Avatar: Fire and Ash that may hint at a unique fate for the Sully family. Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third installment of James Cameron’s Avatar franchise, and the direct follow-up to his 2022 hit Avatar: The Way of Water. This step into Pandora will continue to expand the franchise’s lore by introducing an ash clan, who will be Na’vi antagonists in the film. After being delayed from its original 2024 release date, Avatar: Fire and Ash is coming this year on December 19, 2025.

Speaking on Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast, Saldaña provides insight into the arc of Avatar 3. The Neytiri actor promised that the threequel is “going to be an emotional roller coaster.” She details that the ending of The Way of the Water left the Sully family having to “make really strong decisions.” Phrased as a question, she said “Do they stay united and find common ground, or do they go their separate ways?“. Check out the full quote from Saldaña below:

“It’s going to be an emotional roller coaster. The way ‘The Way of Water’ ended was unimaginably painful for the Sully family. Now, they have to make really strong decisions. Do they stay united and find common ground, or do they go their separate ways? And God knows what’s going to happen to the existing children.”

What This Means For Avatar: Fire And Ash

Jake And Neytiri Already Had Tensions In The Way Of Water

Avatar: Fire and Ash is already set to be ripe with divides. First of all, there will be divides within the Na’vi people as the Omatikaya and Metkayina clans presumably fight against the yet-unnamed ash clan. Saldaña suggests that there could be a major interpersonal divide, this time between members of the Sully family. Jake and Neytiri were already seen harboring different opinions over how to deal with the humans in Avatar: The Way of Water. This could plant the seed for another rift in Avatar: Fire and Ash.

In another key aspect of her quote, Saldaña says “God knows what’s going to happen to the existing children.” The Sully couple’s eldest son, Neteyam, died during the events of Avatar 2, which ended with them laying him down to rest so that he could reconnect with the Na’vi deity Eywa. Right now, Kiri, Lo’ak, Tuk, and their honorary son Spider all remain alive, but Saldaña’s ominous quote suggests that this may not be the case for long. She also notably refers to them as “the existing children,” suggesting that there could be more little Sullys to come.

Our Take On This Avatar: Fire And Ash Tease

Avatar 3 Needs Strong Character Development

Like both of its predecessors, Avatar: Fire and Ash is expected to be a multi-hour epic. To go beyond visual spectacle and maintain its narrative strength, Avatar 3 is going to need to delve deeper into some of the new characters that were introduced in Avatar: The Way of Water. Creating divides within the Sully family could be one major way to dig deeper, as said it would create conflict and force the Sully children to take sides, all the while maturing and developing in the process.

Source: Variety