The first Avatar movie introduced audiences to the world of Pandora, and the second movie presented the aquatic Metkayina clan. In James Cameron’s threequel, Fire and Ash, the dark side of the stunning planet will be explored, as a more sinister group of Na’vi called “the Ash Clan.” With each film of the franchise presenting its own set of innovative challenges, the Canadian director recently joked about the third film’s “less nightmarish” creative process while providing an update on the highly anticipated 2025 movie schedule entry.
What makes a James Cameron movie so exciting is that the Oscar-winning director never plays it safe. Even if we have to wait over a decade for one of his anticipated movies to be released, it’s due to him wanting to ensure that the innovative technology used for Pandora and the Na’vi characters will be effective. During an interview with Empire, the Terminator 2 helmer explained how Avatar: Fire and Ash is progressing and joked about how the process the third time around is “less nightmarish” compared to the other films:
It’s in strong shape, I think. We’ve doubled the number of shots finished at this stage of the game than we had on movie two [and] the films are about equal length. So that puts us well ahead of the curve, which is something I’ve never, frankly, experienced before. … [The creative process is] a little bit less nightmarish. We’re getting to the point where we’re actually getting good at this.
You’d like to hope after filming the third Avatar movie that the creative process would be in the bag by now. Still, you could argue that each movie of the sci-fi franchise is experimental, with James Cameron telling Empire how important it was for him to break the mold each time. For instance, the first movie built upon established motion-capture practices, with not just body movements being recorded, but using head-mounted cameras to record an actor’s facial expressions. The filming of motion-capture may look ridiculous in BTS videos, but you can’t argue with the results.
And, for the billion-dollar earnerWay of Water, the Aliens director and his team experimented with dazzling underwater technology as the Na’vi sought out refuge with a water clan. This involved the actors wearing motion-capture suits in a massive 900,000-gallon water tank, after spending months of learning how to hold their breath. The development of the innovative underwater technology is why filming took so long.
In terms Fire and Ash‘s production, the third film of the franchise was filmed simultaneously with Way of Water. With filming completed, the upcoming film is in the post-production stage. Varying degrees of work have also been done on the upcoming fourth and fifth installments, which have release dates marked for 2029 and 2031, respectively. Leave it to James Cameron to know just how to provide audiences with astounding visuals and storytelling that’s well worth the wait.
It’s a relief to know that the demanding processes that go into filming the Avatar movies are “less nightmarish” for the third one. As James Cameron and the rest of the cast and crew have a good idea of what goes into building Pandora after almost two decades, it appears that the process has become easier to handle compared to any technological hurdles. I certainly agree with Cameron in that he and his team are really “getting good at this.”
Avater: Fire and Ash is expected to hit theaters on December 19th. Until then, feel free to delve into the world of Pandora via the first two movies, which are available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.