New Concept Art and Details for AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH Involving the Ash Clan and Details on Their Leader Varang

Some new concept art has surfaced for James Cameron’s upcoming film Avatar: Fire and Ash, and it features Ash Clan of the Na’vi, with Varang as their “no-nonsense figurehead.”

Cameron offered some more insight on the Varang in an interview with Empire, saying: “Varang is the leader of a people who have gone through an incredible hardship. She's hardened by that.

“He goes on to tease: “She will do anything for them, even things that we would consider to be evil. One thing we wanted to do in this film is not be black-and-white simplistic.”

The filmmaker added: “We’re trying to evolve beyond the ‘all humans are bad, all Na’vi are good’ paradigm.”

Varang is played by Oona Chaplin, and when talking about her, Cameron says she “is so good that I didn’t quite appreciate how good her performance is until we got the Wētā animation back. She’s an enemy, an adversarial character, but [Chaplin] makes her feel so real and alive.”

We also have concept art featuring the Wind Traders, who travel on gigantic Pandoran creatures to soar among the clouds.

Cameron talked about these characters saying: “They’re nomadic traders, equivalent to the camel caravans of the Spice Road back in the Middle Ages. And you know, they’re just fun.

“Like all Na’vi, they live in a symbiosis with their creatures.” Get ready to take to the skies in an all-new way. “If you’ve got any nautical blood in your veins, you’ll want to be on [their] ship,” promises Cameron. All aboard!”

When previously talking about the film, Cameron said that the Ash People are a reflection of the worst side of N'avi, suggesting he pulled inspiration from the reality when he noted, "We have a lot of anger and a lot of rage in the world we live in right now."

He also explains that the new N'avi tribe will be nomadic and travel through the air; however, the Ash People "were destroyed by volcanic eruptions, so they resent nature and everything the forest Na'vi preach."

Cameron previously said: “It’s so gratifying to feel that love for this world of Pandora and these characters that my team has been working on for over 18 years.

“I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on for Avatar 3. Every day when I’m reviewing new shots, it’s like Christmas morning. The characters are so alive and it all feels so real.

“As you’d expect, it’s this insane adventure but it’s also got very high emotional stakes, more than ever before. We’re going into really challenging territory for all the characters you know and love.

“There are new characters, especially one we think you’re going to love — or love to hate. You’re going to see a lot more of Pandora the planet that you’ve never seen before.”

The director also talked about the film saying: "It's just a continuation of the epic. You'll see new environments, new characters. The characters that you know and love will be challenged even more, and go through some trials and tribulations. I think it's going to be a tougher ride than A2, in a good way."

Cameron also offered some insight into Avatar 3 and who the film will focus on, saying: “Lo’ak really emerged as a character that people went with. So I might find ways to…he’s already the narrator. I’m giving away something here, but this is OK.

“I think it could be intriguing for people to think about what’s coming. Jake was our voiceover narrator for movie one and for movie two, and we have a different narrator for each of the subsequent films. We see it through the eyes of a different character. Movie three is through Lo’ak’s eyes.”

Cameron also teased the fire element of the third film and revealed that two new cultures would be introduced, saying: “Fire has a symbolic purpose in the film and there’s a culture that is specifically around that concept. That’s probably saying too much as we speak.”

Cameron previously talked a little bit about the representation of fire in Avatar 3, saying: “To show cultures different from those I have already shown. The fire will be represented by the ‘Ash People.’

“I want to reveal the Na’vi from another angle because, for the moment, I have only shown their good sides. In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3, we’ll have the opposite.”

The filmmaker went shared that two other new cultures will be introduced in the next movie, saying: “You’re going to meet two completely new cultures in the next film.

“We met the Omaticaya, we met the Metkayina, and you’re going to meet two new cultures in the next film, and it kind of rove a little more freely around the world of Pandora to different places.”

It was also recently teased that the movie will be “bigger than you can imagine.” The question is, will the upcoming sequels also break the $2 billion box office barrier like the first two movies? One thing is for sure, Cameron has the magic touch with three of the top four highest grossing films of all time being his movies.

The movie stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and Kate Winslet.

Avatar: Fire and Ash will hit theaters on December 25, 2025.