Disney is set to release the first trailer for 20th Century’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” and with it, the first look at the series’ evil Na’vi clan, the Mangkwan.
But to see it, you’re going to have to buy a ticket to “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” as the trailer’s debut will be theatrically exclusive.
Disney announced the trailer’s impending release with social media posts showcasing the teaser poster for the third chapter of the “Avatar” saga. Like the previous two installments, it features a half-face closeup of one of the Na’vi.
But while the first “Avatar” teaser poster featured Neytiri and its long-awaited sequel, “The Way of Water,” featured her daughter, Kiri, the poster for “Fire and Ash” shows Varang, the leader of the Mangkwan.
As series star Zoe Saldana revealed at CinemaCon, the Mangkwan — or Ash People — are a tribe who are hostile to other Na’vi and who have forsaken Eywa, the planetary consciousness of Pandora whom the other tribes worship as their goddess.
It’s the first time that “Avatar” has pivoted away from the conflict of Na’vi vs. humans, the latter largely represented by the RDA, the organization tasked with subduing the Na’vi and turning Pandora into the next home for the human race. Whether the Ash People and RDA team up against Jake Sully and the Na’vi remains to be seen.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is expected to be the highest grossing movie of 2025, just like the previous two films. If it reaches $2 billion at the global box office, it will join Marvel’s “Avengers” as the second franchise to have three films that cross that rare mark.
The film hits theaters December 19.
