AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH Second Unit Director Describes James Cameron's Incredible Practical Stunts on the Film
The third Avatar film, Avatar: Fire and Ash is just a few months from its release, and the actors and creatives behind the scenes are gearing up to promote it.
In a new issue of Empire Magazine, the movie’s second-unit director Garrett Warren sat down to talk about the action in the film, and the impressive practical effects director James Cameron coordinated for the production.
“We want people to feel the heat,” Warren teased, calling one sequence “a cross between a pirate-ship [invasion] and an air-to-air combat battle, with the ikran, the flying creatures that move through the air, like fighter jets”.
There were huge practical builds to augment the shooting process – replica aluminum airships measuring 100 feet long, and ikran puppets for stunt performers, like second-unit stunt co-ordinator Steve Brown, to ride on.
“Steve basically had to jump off a moving bird the same way the Ash Warriors do,” says Warren. “There were a couple of good faceplants.” Even with a location like Pandora, there’s no excuse for not doing things the real way. “This is Jim Cameron, you know?” laughs Warren. “We’re not doing stuff for fake.”
The film brings back Jake Sully and Neytiri as they rally their family and allies against a new Na’vi threat: the Ash People. These fearsome, soot-covered warriors are introduced in the trailer dancing around a blazing fire pit, setting the tone for a movie that leans into chaos, destruction, and rising tension between the clans.
The returning cast includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco, and Dileep Rao, along with younger actors like Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, and Bailey Bass.
New faces joining the fight include Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis. Oona Chaplin makes her debut as Varang, the Ash People’s commanding and ominous leader.
Avatar: Fire and Ash is set for release on December 19, 2025.
