'Avatar' world expands in 'Fire and Ashes'

New Na'vi tribe and ocean peril add edge to Cameron's blockbuster series

PARIS:

The third film in the 'Avatar' series, due in cinemas this month, is aiming to extend the success of one of the world's highest-grossing franchises with another environment-focused visual spectacle.

'Avatar: Fire and Ashes', directed by James Cameron 16 years after he first introduced audiences to the blue-skinned Na'vi, will open in major markets from December 17 ahead of the holiday season.

The original film earned a record $2.9 billion worldwide, while 2022's sequel 'The Way of Water' made around $2.3 billion despite the post-Covid downturn in theatres, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The new film, which premiered this week in Hollywood and Paris, revisits Jake (Sam Worthington), now Toruk Makto, and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), as they mourn the death of their eldest son Neteyam and attempt to rebuild family life on Pandora.

Their household includes their adopted Na'vi daughter Kiri, played by Sigourney Weaver, and Spider (Jack Champion), a human accepted by all except Neytiri.

"We're seeing the children coming up and trying to find their place in a world when they're mixed-race children," Cameron told a Paris press conference. "We're dealing with a refugee family, essentially immigrants displaced. People can relate to that," the Canadian director added.

The story introduces the Mangkwan, or Ash People, a Na'vi clan whose homeland was destroyed by a volcano and who now survive through raids. Led by Varang, played by Oona Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, the Mangkwan expose a harsher side of the Na'vi, previously shown as nature-bound and virtuous in contrast to resource-hungry humans.

Once again, Pandora's inhabitants face an assault from the "sky people", humans from the Resources Development Administration, who are planning a renewed offensive. The RDA intends to hunt the Tulkuns - vast, intelligent marine beings - to extract amrita, a highly valuable substance found in their brains.

Cameron said the original 1995 script was "very environmental" in its message, a theme that Weaver said resonates today as ocean ecosystems come under growing pressure.

Filming for the second and third films took place over 18 months between 2017 and 2018, well before the rise of generative AI. Two more instalments are under production for release later this decade.

Cameron told ComicBook.com he is "not negative" about generative AI but emphasised that the 'Avatar' films do not use it or replace actors. He defended the "performance capture" technique he pioneered, which maps actors' movements onto the Na'vi characters on screen.

Early reactions have been limited but largely positive, with full reviews embargoed until closer to release. Brief social-media impressions from US critics suggest Cameron has delivered another intense visual experience, though some flagged familiar themes and script choices. "I've only ever had about five good ideas in my life. I just keep repackaging them," Cameron joked.