Avatar 3: James Cameron Teases Polar & Desert Settings on Pandora

By Aeron Mer Eclarinal Updated:
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully

Avatar: The Way of Water director James Cameron teased that Avatar 3 could explore unexpected new settings on Pandora, noting that everything that viewers "need to see" is on the planet. 

As Avatar 2 has been breaking box office records, Avatar 3 is on the horizon, with Cameron at the forefront of building hype for the threequel. The award-winning director previously teased that he'll "have a discussion soon with the top folks at Disney" about the "game plan going forward for Avatar 3," mainly due to The Way of Water's success. 

As for Avatar 3 plot details, Cameron also shared that he is planning to introduce a new type of Na'vi the film, namely the “Ash people,” who represent a fiery and volcanic biome.

Now, more details about the third entry to the Avatar franchise have emerged.

James Cameron Reveals Avatar 3's Different Settings

Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water

Speaking with B TV Korea, Avatar: The Way of Water director James Cameron teased what biomes/settings Avatar 3 could explore. 

Cameron first pointed out that everything the audience needs to see is on Pandora, noting that he doesn't need to go to other planets to tell Avatar's story.

The Titanic director then hinted that Avatar 3 could go to the desert, the mountains, the boreal forest, and even the polar region:

 “Everything that we need to say and see is on Pandora. I don’t have to go to other planets to tell this story. So we can go to the desert. We can go to the mountains. We can go to the boreal forest, the temperate forest, not just the tropical rainforest. We can go to the polar region. We’ll see a lot– And we’ll see the different adaptations of the different cultures across these films."

Cameron also mentioned that Avatar 3 could "go to some places that are very hard to describe," teasing that "there's some amazing imagery" that he can't wait to do: 

"And we’ll also go to some places that are very hard to describe. And I’m sure they’re going to be very hard to do. But there’s some amazing imagery that I’m very excited to get to do. But it all depends on whether we’re successful with [Avatar: The Way of Water], right? We don’t want to make a sequel to a movie that doesn’t perform well. So hopefully, people will embrace this film and they’ll fall in love with these characters and then they’ll wanna see what."

What Is the Story of Avatar 3?

James Cameron's latest tease could hint that Avatar 3 would mainly focus on expanding the lore of Pandora and the Na'vi instead of further examining the conflict with the Sky People (humans)

Doing this allows the threequel to showcase the nefarious side of Pandora, thus giving Jake Sully's family a different kind of challenge. 

However, it's possible that the Sky People could also be involved in Avatar 3 as a side plot that continues the story of Spider and Quaritch from Avatar: The Way of Water.

Cameron's plan to introduce a fire Na'vi or the Ash people could hint that one of the settings that will be featured is a volcano. This is a stark contrast to what Avatar 2 unveiled, considering that the sequel introduced viewers to the Metkayina clan or the oceanic Na'vi. 

Moreover, more types of Na'vi are poised to be revealed when the Sully family encounters the mountains, desert, and polar region. Given that Avatar 3's initial cut is nine hours long, Cameron appears to have a good chunk of runtime to explore the many secrets of Pandora. 

Avatar: The Way of Water is still playing in theaters worldwide.

- In This Article: Avatar 3
Release Date
December 19, 2025
Platform
Theaters
Actors
Sam Worthington
Sigourney Weaver
- About The Author: Aeron Mer Eclarinal
Aeron is a news/features writer and Content Lead for The Direct who has been working for the site since March 2020. From writing about the inter-connectivity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to having an extended knowledge about DC TV's Arrowverse, Aeron's expertise has since expanded into the realm of reality TV, K-drama, animated, and live-action shows from Netflix,  Disney+, Prime Video, MGM+, Peacock, Paramount+, and Max. When he isn't writing and watching all things MCU, Aeron is heavily invested with the NBA (go Celtics!) and occasionally watches thrilling matches in the WWE.