Avatar: Fire and Ash is the latest chapter in the emotional journey that Jake Sully and his family have navigated throughout the sci-fi film series. Sam Worthington’s Sully has become a relatable character throughout the Avatar franchise, with director James Cameron claiming the main protagonist is partially based on his real-life personality.

Speaking with Empire, Cameron stated that the Avatar film series’ main characters were created and written using inspiration from his life and the experiences of his co-writers, including Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. According to the Oscar-winning filmmaker, Sully’s personality mirrors his, particularly his parenting approach.

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“These characters are amalgams of us, our childhoods, our role as parents, the mistakes we made, and probably to some extent continue to make as parents. A lot of self-reflection,” he said. “I mean, Jake is a hard-ass motherf**ker. He’s very hard on his kids. Well, that’s me. I said, ‘Let’s make him an a**hole. Let’s make him The Great Santini. Let’s challenge the audience to like him, and see that it’s coming from love and fear and all of those things.'”

Sully’s parenting will be tested like never before in Fire and Ash as he tries to help his family deal with the death of Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), the eldest son he shared with his partner, Neytiri (Zoë Saldaña). Cameron previously stated that the Avatar threequel won’t brush past death as many Hollywood movies are guilty of doing in his eyes. Instead, he insists Fire and Ash will tell a nuanced story about how the Sully family is struggling to accept Neteyam’s death and how they bounce back amid unspeakable grief.

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There’s little doubt Fire and Ash will be the most emotional entry in the Avatar franchise, based on what Cameron and his cast have said about the anticipated sci-fi blockbuster. Cameron said his wife was so touched by what she saw when watching Fire and Ash that she “bawled for four hours” as she tried processing the film. Meanwhile, Saldaña teased that the Sully family could go their separate ways during the threequel, alluding to the family’s struggle with handling their loss.

Fire and Ash is in post-production, with Cameron stating that he’s already gotten great feedback about the film from the select few he’s showing it to, with quips claiming it’s the best installment of the Avatar franchise. The future tentpole also features what production designer Ben Procter is calling an “airborne and water-borne battle for the ages,” alluding to its climactic battle and potentially toppling The Way of Water’s closing sequences.

The Third Avatar Film Is Coming to Theaters

The third Avatar film will be the final one set in Pandora before moving to Earth for the next two sequels. Worthington and Saldaña return alongside Sigourney Weaver (Kiri), Kate Winslet (Ronal), Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch) and Britain Dalton (Lo’ak). Meanwhile, the threequel will introduce a new villain in the Ash Clan’s leader, Varang, portrayed by Games of Thrones actor Oona Chaplin.

Fire and Ash opens in theaters on Dec. 19.

Source: Empire

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Release Date

December 19, 2025

Director

James Cameron

Writers

Josh Friedman, James Cameron

Prequel(s)

Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water