James Cameron made major change to Avatar: Fire and Ash during post-production

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James Cameron has shared that while working on the extensive post-production for Avatar 3, he discovered he had unintentionally omitted a key character from the film. This realization came during the long process of finishing the movie.

The highly anticipated movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is set to release globally on December 19, 2026. We are now only a few weeks away from this major cinematic event.

Following the incredible success of the highest-grossing movie ever – and the third highest-grossing film of all time – excitement is extremely high for this new movie, which began filming back in September 2017.

During a recent interview to publicize the US re-release of Avatar: The Way of Water this week, writer-director James Cameron shared that he completely overlooked including a fan-favorite creature in the upcoming film.

James Cameron forgot to put the Toruk in Avatar 3

Working on a film for almost ten years allows you to revisit it with a new perspective after some time, and James Cameron explained that this was extremely helpful when he determined what Avatar 3 still needed. He said having that distance was invaluable when identifying what was missing.

I just go with my gut when I’m being creative, honestly. That’s usually my approach. But sometimes – and it happened a bit with Fire and Ash – I’ll step back and think, ‘Okay, I’m not a screenwriting genius.’ It’s like, there’s something a little off with how the story is unfolding, you know?

So, Toruk is back, right? You know, that large bird Jake rides. I’ve been expecting someone to ask, ‘Why doesn’t he just get Toruk again and defeat everyone like he did before?’ But that option isn’t present at all in The Way of Water.

Cameron explains, “It wasn’t a part of Fire and Ash. And that’s when I thought, ‘He absolutely has to go get the bird.’ Seriously! I was planning to use that plot point in a future movie. I remember thinking, ‘Forget that! He needs to get the bird. He needs to get the Toruk.’”

It felt like Jake’s story needed this development, so I revised it. Then, we filmed a couple of extra scenes to support that new direction, and I integrated the revised material by removing some existing content and adding this in.

Avatar: Fire and Ash now clocks in at three hours

So, the changes they made actually ended up lengthening the movie! James Cameron said they’re now at three hours – no big surprise there, honestly! But he also said it really works, and the actors were super excited about it. Apparently, it just felt right to them, you know? It’s great to hear that everyone was happy with how it turned out!

Honestly, things aren’t really fixed in this game. It’s a constantly changing creative process, which is awesome. That’s what keeps me feeling energized and really invested, you know? It’s what keeps me engaged.

Okay, so I’m super excited – Avatar: The Way of Water is coming back to US theaters tomorrow, October 3, 2025, and it’s in 3D! Plus, Avatar: Fire And Ash is dropping on December 19th, and everyone’s already trying to figure out which character won’t make it. I’ve been checking out the theories – you can find out who fans think will die here.

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2025-10-02 12:50