Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer to release with Fantastic Four: First Steps; first look and plot unveiled

The Avatar: Fire and Ash trailer debuts with Fantastic Four: First Steps introducing new Na'vi tribes, villain Varang, and internal Na’vi conflict, with the film set to release on December 19.

Avatar: Fire and Ash first look

Filmgoers attending this weekend's screening of Fantastic Four: First Steps will also get to see the debut trailer for James Cameron's upcoming science fiction epic Avatar: Fire and Ash. According to the official Avatar X account, the advance screening of the Marvel film will be the only place to see the unique first look.

Return to Pandora introduces two warring tribes

Returning to Pandora, the trailer—which was shown behind closed doors at CinemaCon in April—introduces two new Na'vi tribes: the Wind Traders, who soar around in hot air balloons, and their archenemy, the Fire People, who ride flaming animals. As tensions rise between the two factions, a fiery arrow pierces the flesh of a Na'vi in one scene.

"We cannot live like this, baby. We cannot live with this hate," Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) says to Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) in the trailer.

ALSO READ: Avatar 3: James Cameron’s vision for Fire & Ash is wild, ambitious, and fiery - Check out these new concept art

Story picks up after The Way of Water

Avatar: Fire and Ash takes place right after The Way of Water and follows Jake's family as they encounter the Ash People, a sect of Na'vi who have separated from the conventional Eywa-worshipping clans. Fans have seen very little of the Ash People, who reside in volcanic areas and have a whole different set of beliefs and ways of life than the rest of the franchise.

A new nemesis, Varang, played by Game of Thrones star Oona Chaplin, is introduced in the new trailer, which was shown earlier this week to the press in Disney's New York and Los Angeles offices. Sigourney Weaver plays the role of Kiri, the daughter of Jake and Neytiri, who is held captive by Varang, who is seen in the footage wandering over a volcanic landscape lighted by magma while wearing a spiky red-and-black headdress. She says something terrifying like, "Your goddess has no dominion here."

Internal Na’vi conflict

The storyline of the franchise is about to take a turn at this point. Humans and Na'vi have been at odds in the flicks thus far. It seems like Fire and Ash is now investigating Na'vi internal strife.

The leader of a people who have endured tremendous suffering is Varang, as director James Cameron recounted to Empire, and that made her tougher. Even if it means doing something that we would deem terrible, she will do it for them.

In addition, he mentioned that they aimed to avoid being overly simplistic in this film. A mindset shift away from "all humans are evil, all Na'vi are good" is something they are working towards.

Poster highlights the fiery world of Fire and Ash

The official poster and trailer for the film were both presented at the same time. It includes a close-up of what appears to be Varang's face, slashed across the middle with war paint. Her glowing amber eye, cracked volcanic skin, and braided hair all convey a sense of strength, fury, and metamorphosis. Red spikes, like ceremonial feathers or battle armour, fan out behind her like flames. The tagline "Only in Theatres: December 19" and the blazing colour scheme both emphasise the film's exclusive nature and its elemental concept.

The trilogy might become the first ever to have three films reach that milestone if Fire and Ash follows in the footsteps of its predecessors, Avatar and The Way of Water which both earned over $2 billion globally.

Future installments already dated

The fourth Avatar film will be released on December 21, 2029, while the fifth film will be released on December 19, 2031.

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