James Cameron Says Forget Saving It: Avatar: Fire and Ash Drops a Later-Film Scene Now

James Cameron just raided his own sequel pantry. The third Avatar movie, 'Fire and Ash', is now bringing back a very specific, very large blast from the past that he originally planned to save for later.

Quick context

'Fire and Ash' is the third of five planned Avatar films and follows 2022's 'The Way of Water'. Cameron still has the long game in mind — 'Avatar 5' is not expected until 2031 — but he just pulled a future card early. The movie lands December 19.

So... the big red bird is back

In an interview with Variety, Cameron said he realized something felt off in the 'Fire and Ash' story. Translation: he looked at the movie and heard the obvious fan question echoing from 2009 — if Jake Sully once rode the Toruk (the giant, bright red flying apex predator from the first film's climax), why not get it again when things get dire?

That question didn't come up in 'The Way of Water.' And, apparently, it wasn't in 'Fire and Ash' either. Until Cameron changed his mind.

'He should get the bird. Get the Toruk.'

Cameron says he had been saving that move for a later film, then decided Jake's arc demanded it now. He rewrote, went back into production, shot a couple of new scenes, and tossed out some old material to make room. The result: the cut now runs about three hours — which, yes, sounds extremely on-brand — and the cast was reportedly all-in on the update.

What Cameron just changed

• The Toruk returns in 'Fire and Ash', addressing the lingering 'why not use the giant murder-bird again?' question.
• Cameron rewrote and reshot 2–3 scenes, swapping out earlier material to fit the new Toruk thread.
• The runtime sits at roughly three hours after the changes.
• He admits he was holding the Toruk beat for a later sequel but decided Jake's destiny required it now.

Meanwhile, a very different Cameron project

While juggling Pandora, Cameron is also developing an adaptation of Charles R. Pellegrino's 'Ghosts of Hiroshima'. He calls it possibly the toughest film he will ever make, and he is still figuring out how to depict the horror truthfully without overwhelming audiences — and how to find some kind of poetry or spiritual grace in the story. In his words:

'This might be the most challenging film I ever make... I want to shield people from the horror but still be honest.'

Bottom line: 'Fire and Ash' now features a not-so-subtle return of the franchise's most metal flying creature, because sometimes the simplest story fix is also the loudest. December 19 is going to be noisy.