Zoe Saldaña Reveals the One Brutal Challenge That Nearly Made Avatar: Fire and Ash Impossible to Film
Record-smashing star Zoe Saldaña returns to Pandora as James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash readies to light up the big screen—and the box office—once again.
Avatar is back on the horizon, which means Zoe Saldana is back in the blue as Neytiri — and she just opened up about what it was like to step into that headspace while she was expanding her family in real life. Also, because it wouldn’t be a James Cameron release without some tech flexing, he’s already talking about how theaters should project the thing.
Zoe Saldana on balancing Neytiri and motherhood
Saldana, who has three sons — Cy, Bowie, and Zen — with her husband, artist Marco Perego, talked about the emotional whiplash of playing Neytiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash while being a mom to little kids at home. Asked about the darker side of Neytiri this time out (yes, the same movie Cameron still considers a family film), she didn’t sugarcoat it:
"On a personal level, I was expanding my family. So, to get to leave my babies at home and come to work and play a woman who had just buried one of her children, it was hard."
That contrast is rough to even read, let alone perform — and it adds another layer to a character who’s already carried a lot across two record-smashing movies.
Her kids think Mom being Gamora is pretty cool
Outside Pandora, Saldana’s kids have had front-row seats to her Marvel life. In a 2022 chat with InStyle, she laughed about watching her boys piece it together — Mom is Mom, but she’s also Gamora — and admitted the movie cred doesn’t hurt at home. In 2023, she shared a set photo with her sons visiting while she was in full Gamora makeup, and she was honest about how hard it is to be away from them while filming, giving a nod to moms chasing their careers and dreams. She last appeared as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which was James Gunn’s final Marvel film before he headed to the DCU.
Who is back for Fire and Ash
Sam Worthington returns as Jake Sully, and Sigourney Weaver is back as Kiri. Also on deck: Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, and more familiar faces from Pandora.
James Cameron has notes for your projector (of course he does)
Cameron posted a public note to theater techs on X with very specific instructions about how to present Avatar: Fire and Ash — down to projection settings and a framing chart packaged in the DCP. The vibe: please show the movie the way we made it.
"Dear Theater Technician, My team and I are very excited to deliver AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH, over to you, to present to the public."
Translation: expect meticulous image and motion details again, and Cameron wants exhibitors to dial everything in so you actually see them.
Quick franchise refresher
- Avatar (2009) — Production: Lightstorm Entertainment; Dune Entertainment; Ingenious Film Partner. IMDb: 7.9/10. Rotten Tomatoes: 81%. Box office: $2.9 billion.
- Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) — Production: Lightstorm Entertainment. IMDb: 7.5/10. Rotten Tomatoes: 76%. Box office: $2.3 billion.
- Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) — Production: Lightstorm Entertainment. Ratings and box office: TBD.
Avatar: Fire and Ash hits theaters December 19, 2025.