James Cameron Reveals "Avatar: Fire and Ash" Will Outrun Its Predecessors in Runtime

Director James Cameron has dropped tantalizing details about the runtime of the third Avatar chapter, Fire and Ash, confirming it will stretch beyond the lengths of its predecessors.

The previous record-holder, The Way of Water, clocked in at 3 hours and 12 minutes. Cameron explained that he and his co-writers opted to carve the sprawling tale into multiple parts to do justice to its richness.

“We had an abundance of brilliant ideas,” Cameron told Empire. “The story was barreling forward like a freight train, and we weren’t giving the characters the breathing room they deserved. So I said, ‘Team, we’ve got to split this up.’ The third film will run longer than the second.”

Early viewers have dubbed Fire and Ash the most emotionally charged of the trilogy so far. The plot introduces a fierce new tribe of the Na’vi from Pandora—the combative and unyielding People of Ash. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Oona Chaplin, Kate Winslet, David Thewlis, and more.

Fire and Ash is slated to hit international theaters on December 19, 2025. Looking ahead, the fourth Avatar is tentatively pegged for 2029, with the fifth following in 2031.