James Cameron Discusses the New Enemy in “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
The director on the Ash Clan’s fearsome leader and making the series more complex when it comes to heroes and villains.
With Avatar: Fire and Ash on the way at the end of the year, James Cameron is revealing more about the film’s introduction of a fierce and dangerous new Na’vi clan.
What’s Happening:
- In an interview with Empire, Avatar: Fire and Ash director James Cameron discusses the Ash Clan and their leader, Varang, who will be introduced in the upcoming film. Cameron insinuated this group will be quite a bit more hostile than the Metkayina Clan, who Jake Sully and his family joined in Avatar: The Way of Water.
- Said Cameron, “Varang is the leader of a people who have gone through an incredible hardship. She's hardened by that. She will do anything for them, even things that we would consider to be evil."
- Cameron added that as the Avatar series moves forward, “One thing we wanted to do in this film is not be black-and-white simplistic. We’re trying to evolve beyond the ‘all humans are bad, all Na’vi are good’ paradigm."
- Cameron had high praise for Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones), who plays Verang, telling Empire she “is so good that I didn’t quite appreciate how good her performance is until we got the Wētā animation back." He stressed Verang is “An enemy, an adversarial character, but [Chaplin] makes her feel so real and alive."
- Also teased by Cameron (and via Dylan Cole’s concept art) are the Wind Traders, described by Empire as Na’vi who corral gigantic Pandoran creatures to soar among the clouds. Explained Cameron, “They’re nomadic traders, equivalent to the camel caravans of the Spice Road back in the Middle Ages. And you know, they’re just fun. Like all Na’vi, they live in a symbiosis with their creatures." He added, “If you’ve got any nautical blood in your veins, you’ll want to be on [their] ship."
- Directed by James Cameron, Avatar: Fire and Ash is produced by 20th Century Studios and Lightstorm Entertainment and also stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Jack Champion, Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss and Bailey Bass.
- Avatar: Fire and Ash opens December 19th, 2025.
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