Avatar: The Way of Water ended with the death of Jake Sully and Neytiri's firstborn son, Neteyam. As you might expect, that's put them both on the warpath against the RDA, and the "absolute devastation" will fuel the matriarch's actions heading into Avatar: Fire and Ash.
"That pain is seamlessly followed up on," Zoe Saldaña tells Empire Online. "And because it doesn’t really have anywhere to go, and doesn’t go away, rage can also come from it. [The Sullys] are going to be tested as a family."
"Not only would everything that’s happening compel her to question the bond she has with her husband," the actress continues, "but also her bond with herself, her people, her land, and the way the Na’vi are. She’s going to question everything."
However, Neytiri will supposedly "meet her match" in Oona Chaplin's Varang, the leader of the Mangkwan Ash Clan. Filmmaker James Cameron promises, "Zoe is incandescent in this film. With Emilia Pérez, she’s finally getting recognised as the top-tier actor we’ve always known she is. But in [Fire And Ash], that goes way beyond what you’ve seen before."
These comments are accompanied by the first official still from Avatar: Fire and Ash; Saldaña is put front and centre as Neytiri and looks ready to unleash her savagery while avenging her son's murder.
In Avatar: Fire and Ash, Jake and Neytiri will encounter the "Ash People," a new clan of Na'vi, though few concrete plot details have been revealed about what to expect beyond that.
The movie was shot back-to-back with 2022's Avatar: The Way of Water. Cameron originally planned for them to be one movie, but soon realised there was too much material and expanded the story across parts two and three (a fourth instalment is also in development).
Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones) plays the leader of the Ash People, Varang. David Thewlis and Michelle Yeoh are also joining the cast alongside returning stars Sam Worthington, Zeo Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco, and Dileep Rao.
Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver wrote Avatar: Fire and Ash and the movie will be released in theaters on December 19.