The Avatar Scene James Cameron Feared Filming — And Why
With Avatar: Fire and Ash on the horizon, James Cameron reveals the Way of Water scene he dreaded filming most—the Na'vi–RDA clash that seals Neteyam’s fate—and why it was the toughest day on set.
James Cameron just called out the one Way of Water scene he truly dreaded shooting — and yes, it is the gut-punch you think it is. As press ramps up for Avatar 3 (titled Avatar: Fire and Ash), he explained how that moment is basically the emotional fuse for the next movie.
The scene Cameron couldn’t shake
Talking to GamesRadar+, Cameron said the hardest day on The Way of Water was filming Neteyam’s death — Jake and Neytiri’s oldest son — during the Na'vi vs. RDA battle. Neteyam dies after saving his siblings, and the cast and crew knew it was going to be a brutal day. Cameron pointed out that he was a parent when he wrote it, and by the time they shot it, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana had become parents too, which only made the whole thing hit harder.
"My mind goes to the day that we shot Neteyam's death, because I know everybody was kind of dreading that... I'm a parent. I was a parent when I wrote those scenes, and it's the most inconceivable thing... that's the event that powers so much of what happens in Fire and Ash — the ash of grief, as Lo'ak says, as the new storyteller, taking the baton from Jake."
So, yes: Lo'ak steps up as the narrator this time, and that loss is the spark for what comes next. Cameron said Fire and Ash is very much about grief, trauma, and trying to move forward without letting rage lock you into an endless fight. He even pointed at the real world and said we’re watching versions of that cycle play out right now.
Where Fire and Ash picks up
Neteyam’s death isn’t just a scene the movie moves past; it sticks to everyone who was there. Cameron says Jake, Neytiri, and the kids are all dealing with the fallout when the story continues, which is the whole point of the title.
- Themes: healing after loss, choosing not to feed the hate, and breaking the violence loop, even when grief wants the opposite
- New adversaries: the Mangkwan clan, a Na'vi group also known as the Ash People
- Leader: Varang (Oona Chaplin), described as aggressive and aligned with Quaritch (Stephen Lang)
- The conflict: Varang and Quaritch team up to go after the Sullys in a larger fight for Pandora
- Story handoff: Lo'ak becomes the new storyteller, carrying forward from Jake
- Release date: Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters December 19, 2025
Short version: the most devastating moment in Way of Water isn’t just baggage — it’s the foundation. Fire and Ash is Cameron pressing on the bruise to see who his characters become when they finally decide what to do with that pain.