Avatar: Fire And Ash Image Reveals James Cameron's New 'Anti-Pandora' Location

Despite the epic-sized length of both "Avatar" movies to this point, we've barely even scratched the surface of what the paradise moon of Pandora has to offer. The original record-breaking 2009 film "Avatar" mostly took place in the tropical jungles of Neytiri's (Zoe Saldaña) clan, while the highly-anticipated sequel "The Way of Water" shifted the action considerably and explored the vast water-based culture of the Metkayina. You might have guessed where I'm going with this by now. The upcoming threequel, titled "Avatar: Fire and Ash," is set to expand the homeworld of the Na'vi even more. This time, we'll once again change locales and visit a region as utterly alien as anything we've seen yet — an "anti-Pandora" that houses the mysterious, fire-based people known as the Mangkwan Clan.

We recently received a first look at a wind-riding clan and the colorful figure who leads them, portrayed by David Thewlis, but we've never quite seen the ash-riddled plains that their fiery counterparts call home ... until now. Empire has the scoop on the new location known as the Ash Village, which couldn't be further removed from the gorgeous environments and sweeping landscapes we've spent all our time in before. By all accounts, this was done to evoke a very specific cataclysm that forever changed the Na'vi affected by it. The magazine quotes production designer Dylan Cole, who further explained the backstory:

"[The Mangkwan] had a natural disaster befall them, and that sort of helped shaped their culture. So much of the world of Pandora is rich and vibrant and full of life — this is just the exact opposite."

You can check out a nifty piece of concept art showing off the Ash Village below!

Be sure to make director James Cameron proud and bring your encyclopedia of Pandora with you while watching "Avatar: Fire and Ash" in theaters later this winter. With so many years separating one "Avatar" movie from another, it can be tough to keep track of everything that's already been revealed about the next one to come. For instance, we know that the creepy Mangkwan Clan is meant to be an antagonistic force that messes with all our preconceptions that all Na'vi are good and all humans are bad in this world. But as much as this new wildcard may present a challenge to Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), Neytiri, and the rest of the Metkayina survivors from "The Way of Water," Cameron and his creative team also don't want us to forget that even their differences are rooted in a common theme.

The Empire article goes on to mention one fascinating nugget of information regarding the Ash Village. Despite taking roots in what seems to be a hallowed-out formation with nothing but ash and dead trees surrounding it, apparently even these Na'vi once had a massive, living "hometree" at the center of their home. This is the same sacred place that helped turn the human Jake into his Avatar form in the first film, while also fueling countless parentage theories surrounding young Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) in "The Way of Water." Now, we're seeing the home tree that the Mangkwan once had such a close connection to — or what remains of it, at least. As Dylan Cole put it, "They used to live not too dissimilarly to the Omatikaya [Neytiri's clan] from 'Avatar 1.'"

With such a long wait ahead of us, we're certain to get even more tidbits from Cameron's next blockbuster in the months to come. "Avatar: Fire and Ash" will hit theaters (and probably break even more records) on December 19, 2025.