James Cameron Reveals Avatar 3 will Introduce the ‘Ash People’ a.k.a. ‘Fire Na’vi’

The Avatar franchise from James Cameron has always been compared to Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, and for years there has been debate on which one was better. With Cameron’s recent reveal for Avatar 3 though, it looks like both Avatars are going to start looking a lot more similar.

In a recent interview with 20 minutes (via The Direct), Cameron confirmed that the third movie will introduce us to the Fire Na’vi who have been dubbed in-universe as ‘The Ash People.’ Cameron explains, “Different cultures from those I have already shown. The fire will be represented by the “Ash People”.”

Though the Na’vi from both the forest and the water tribes have great respect for the nature, Cameron explains that the Ash People will now reveal a different side of the Na’vi—possibly something more sinister. He continues:

“I want to show the Na’vi in a different light because, so far, 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 will do the opposite.”

We don’t know how different the Ash People (or ‘The Fire Nation’) will be from the tribes we’ve met, but I can imagine that they would accept some kind of pact with the humans. With their culture based on fire, I imagine they might be more susceptible to use technology from the humans that utilizes fire.

Some part of me is actually hoping they are short and stubby Na’vi who actually have a love for crafting—a kind of sci-fi dwarf culture spun off of Lord of the Rings.

It’s just a pitch.

For now, catch Avatar: The Way of Water now screening in theaters.