A new Avatar: Mumbai-based film buffs on their expectations from the James Cameron film

James Cameron recently announced the release date of the third installation of his blockbuster 2009 film, Avatar. Three city-based film buffs tell us about their expectations from it

The new film is not what you expect, but it’s definitely what you want,” shared director James Cameron at the recently concluded Disney D23 fan event, where he announced the release date of the third sequel of his trailblazing fantastical franchise, Avatar.

Canadian filmmaker James Cameron

Titled Avatar: Fire and Ash, the movie is set to hit screens across the globe on December 19, 2025. “We’re going into really challenging territory for all the characters you know and love,” Cameron said. In this short revelation, Cameron left several hints for the fans, and Reddit is already abuzz with plot suggestions. Three such cinephiles and die-hard fans help us foresee the future of Pandora.

Neytiri will avenge Neteyam
Prince Shah, writer and filmmaker

I love Avatar, especially the second part. Right from the VFX to the plot, everything was next level. It was a divine experience for me. My prediction for the plot for the upcoming movie is simple but obvious — revenge. The first movie focused on air, the second one was about water, and now comes fire. I think this one will be about [above, right] Neytiri. She lost everything — her father, sister, home.

So, she may join the Ash people and take revenge. I strongly feel Neytiri will be the focus, and her joining the Ash People would be the plot twist, as ‘Fire’ is how Neteyam died. That said, I would love to see JK Simmons play a part in the film. He is an intense personality that will sit just right with the action-packed film. I’d like to watch, and more importantly, hear him, in the upcoming movie.

Let’s see Dr Max Patel in action
Avirat Parekh, actor, director and writer

Dr Max Patel and Avirat Parekh

In cinema, the idea of world-building is an exercise that filmmakers ought to carry out. It enables them to draw in audiences to their curated cinematic experience. Avatar gets it right every time. Over the two instalments, at no point does the film’s ethos and world seem far-fetched because the natural progression of events makes you buy into the narrative. The film is a cinematic revolution. It inspired an entire generation to utopian and dystopian cinematic stories. What the world is seeing with Dune, Mad Max today is probably because of what Avatar did in 2009. James Cameron looks at cinema as an art form. It will be remarkable to see how he will, for the third time, engage the world and subsequently set the tone for forthcoming genre films. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana are featured even in this instalment, as announced across portals. I don’t think there’s much scope for another character. However, I would like to see Dileep Rao’s [the Indian-origin actor who plays Dr Max Patel] role to grow. Other than that, it would be cool to see Morgan Freeman make an appearance.

Save Pandora
Ritam Bhatnagar, entrepreneur

My earliest memory of watching Avatar was in 2009. I was blown away in the first five minutes of watching the film. I loved it so much that the very next day, I watched the movie once again. Within that week, I had watched the film thrice in the theatre. I think the plot for the third movie might be around the conflict between the fire-wielding Na’vi, who already have been hardened by their harsh environment, and the existing tribes who view them with suspicion and mistrust.

This conflict might give colonising humans an opportunity to exploit Pandora once again. It might also have (above) Jake Sully struggling to maintain peace between the factions. In terms of casting, I’d love to see someone like Florence Pugh join the Avatar universe. Her ability to portray strong, multifaceted characters would make her an excellent addition.

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