James Cameron Teases ‘Avatar: Fire And Ash’ Progress: “Well Ahead Of The Curve”

The return to Pandora — and its sweeping, bioluminescent seascapes — will not take as long as last time, director James Cameron assured, teasing that progress on his threequel is “well ahead of the curve.”

Speaking to Empire ahead of the holiday weekend, the Oscar winner said the blockbuster’s post-production process, a two-year-long endeavor beginning in late 2023 that he deemed “hectic,” will keep in time with a planned Dec. 19 release date.

“It’s in strong shape, I think,” he said. “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.”

He added that this go-around is “a little bit less nightmarish. We’re getting to the point where we’re actually getting good at this.” (At nearly $5 billion box-office between two franchise films, we’re keen to agree.)

In tandem with Cameron’s penchant for experimentation in film and reliance on new technology to shoot elaborate water sequences, the Titanic helmer promised “really clever action set-pieces” that’ll “get your blood up.” He promised a “level of character and intrigue” as of yet unseen in the previous two installments.

“We’re just starting to riff on it and twist it and turn it,” Cameron said, referencing the planned installments of Avatar 4 and 5. “It’s a tricky thing. We could be getting high on our own supply here, and everybody who looks at it goes, ‘F—, that’s not what I signed up for.’ But if you’re not making brave choices, you’re wasting everybody’s time and money. That alone is not sufficient to create success, but it’s necessary. You’ve got to break the mold every fricking time.”

Naturally, details on the forthcoming sci-fi flick remain scarce, though Disney unveiled new concept art at Brazil’s D23 Expo in November.

Early in 2023, Cameron teased to Deadline the introduction of two new Na’vi tribes and, of course, a focal point on the element of fire. Stars Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña are expected to return to form in Fire and Ash, along with other cast members from The Way of Water. Though, don’t expect Michelle Yeoh until Avatar 4 and beyond.