The first footage from Avatar: Fire and Ash has been revealed at CinemaCon. The third installment of James Cameron’s popular science-fiction franchise continues the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their family as they encounter new clans on the planet of Pandora. This time, however, they’ll be interacting with a new nation of fire-based Na’vi, alongside nomadic wind traders. Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s release is scheduled for December 19, 2025, with the sequel expected to give the franchise another lucrative theatrical run.

Now, with ScreenRant in attendance, 20th Century Studios has debuted the first footage of Avatar: Fire and Ash at CinemaCon, providing a closer look at what to expect from the upcoming sequel. In the footage, Na’vi are shown flying near Wind Traders, both parties being attacked by the fire people. Multiple smaller scenes are also shown, including Jake hugging Spider (Jack Champion) and Quaritch (Stephen Lang) wearing the red paint of the fire people. The footage also appears to be at a higher frame rate, looking crisper than previous installments. Check out the full description of the footage below:

The clip opens with the Na’vi flying over the water. Then we see Kiri engaging with part son Pandora, presumably Ewya. The Na’vi fly around the Wind Traders, who fly giant ships in the sky. They appear to be the planet’s sailors. Their ships are pulled by giant floating creatures, almost like whales. There’s a lot of focus on the ships, which has giant blue sails as well. While they are sailing, the Na’vi and Wind Traders are attacked by the fire people, who fly red-ish creatures. We then see various sH๏τs of someone walking up a mountain alongside a volcano (presumably Quaritch), Jake and his family sneaking through a jungle, Jake hugging Spider, night scenes with a bright night sky, and Quaritch back in his military gear. There’s a sH๏τ of the Fire people controlling fire. We see Quaritch with red paint like the Fire people have. “Your goddess has no dominion here,” the leader of the Fire people says to Kiri.

What Avatar: Fire & Ash’s New Footage Says About The Sequel

In The Third Installment, Allegiances Will Grow More Complex

The new footage of the upcoming sci-fi sequel indicates allegiances between humans and Na’vi are going to be much more complex than ever before. The cast of Avatar: Fire and Ash is going to be tested by the arrival of the fire people, whose presence marks the first time a group of Pandora natives have been shown as antagonists. Quaritch seemingly joining them is also in stark contrast to his constant loyalty to humanity from the previous films, showcasing a character arc that will only grow as the film progresses.

It seems like the Wind Traders will also play an important role in the conflict, as they’ll be attacked by the fire group using their new, red creatures. While this builds out the world for the new installment, it also helps establish more complexities the other upcoming Avatar movies can explore. With Na’vi of different groups fighting against one another, it seems like the film is going to be exploring a moral gray area the previous movies haven’t touched upon as much.

Our Take On Avatar 3’s CinemaCon Footage

A Promising Start To The Franchise’s Continuation

The new footage of Avatar: Fire and Ash promises plenty of action, new sides being taken, and emotional moments for Jake and his family. This will seemingly culminate in a very different chapter for Pandora, one where the fire people have seemingly abandoned the ways of their fellow Na’vi in favor of their own system. However, the details about what this could mean for the conflict won’t be clear until the movie arrives in theaters.

Source: 20th Century Studios