James Cameron has revealed Disney CEO Bob Iger’s review of Avatar: Fire and Ash, confirming what the studio’s boss thinks of the sequel. The story of Avatar: Fire and Ash follows Jake Sully and his family as they come into conflict with the Mangkwan clan of Na’vi, who have allied with Quaritch. The movie comes to theaters December 19, 2025.
In a report from Puck, Cameron revealed Iger’s thoughts on an early cut of Avatar: Fire and Ash that was 18 minutes longer than the theatrical version. The director confirmed Disney’s CEO loved the sequel, calling it “magnificent.” He even went as far as to shoot down criticisms from other studio heads while discussing the movie in a call together:
He’s interesting. He doesn’t weigh in until it’s something for me to show. His comment when he watched it for the first time, even though it was at 3 hours, 23 minutes, not including credits at that point, so it’s gotten about 18 minutes shorter since then. He said, ‘Yeah, I know you’re going to keep chopping away at it, but it’s magnificent.’ He basically said, ‘I love this film.’
It was interesting because there were other heads on the Zoom call that were bringing up notes. And he said, ‘Yeah … I didn’t have a problem with that.’ And he basically shot them down on their notes. And I was like, ‘Okay, we’re done here.’
Iger’s opinion is a good sign for Avatar: Fire and Ash, which will see the franchise take on challenges it’s never featured before. This will be the first time a group of Na’vi have been the antagonists. It also promises to follow-up on Neteyam’s death after the end of Avatar: The Way of Water and how Jake’s family copes.
The version of the film Iger saw is also somewhat longer than the final cut of the movie that will arrive in theaters. Avatar: Fire and Ash‘s final cut is 195 minutes long, or 3 hours and 15 minutes, including credits. Given his confidence in the film, it’s a good sign it’ll be another compelling, creative entry in the franchise.
The cast of Avatar: Fire and Ash will expand with Oona Chaplin as Varang, the leader of the Mangkwan, and Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore, the RDA’s replacement for Quaritch. David Thewlis also arrives as Peylak, leader of the Wind Traders. The movie is expected to greatly expand on Pandora and its core conflicts with these new leads.
While Iger’s praise shows how much faith he and Disney have in the film, the movie still needs to succeed greatly at the box office to justify Cameron’s planned Avatar 4 and Avatar 5. As of writing, the third installment is expected to make around $110 million in its domestic opening weekend, slightly below the second film’s $134.1 million earnings.
Still, with Iger’s full support behind the film, Avatar: Fire and Ash is shaping up to be a strong sequel that moves the story of Pandora in an important direction. Although it’s unclear what will happen in the movie, the approval of Disney’s CEO makes it seem like it could be the strongest installment of the franchise so far.
Avatar: Fire and Ash arrives in theaters on December 19, 2025.
- Release Date
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December 19, 2025
- Runtime
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195 Minutes