“Avatar 3” Will Star “Game of Thrones” Actress Oona Chaplin as Fire Na’vi Leader

Now that we know James Cameron’s Avatar 3 will definitely be coming to theaters thanks to the astonishing success of Avatar: The Way of Water (currently the fourth-highest-grossing movie of all time and climbing), a few crucial details about the sequels are coming to light. One major reason for this is Cameron and producer Jon Landau have continued to offer clues to some of the major plot points, and there’s also the fact that Cameron shot The Way of Water and Avatar 3 concurrently, as well as parts of Avatar 4, so the details he and Landau are sharing are often not things they’re planning on doing, but things they’ve already done.

In that spirit, Landau revealed to Empire a few intriguing details about the upcoming sequels. As previously reported, he confirmed that Avatar 3 will introduce a far more hostile and violent race of Na’vi, called the Ash People, who he described as “an aggressive, volcanic race” whose leader, Varang, is played by Game of Thrones actress Oon Chaplin (she’s also the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin).

“There are good humans and there are bad humans,” Landau told Empire. “It’s the same thing on the Na’vi side. Oftentimes, people don’t see themselves as bad. What is the root cause of how they evolve into what we perceive as bad? Maybe there are other factors there that we aren’t aware of.”

Chaplin’s casting has been known for while, but this is the first time her role has been revealed.

Landua also revealed that there’s going to be a massive time jump for Avatar 4 (which Cameron has previously stated “goes nuts“), and then he confirmed with Gizmodo that Avatar 5 would be partially set on Earth. “We go to it to open people’s eyes, open Neytiri’s eyes, to what exists on Earth.”

Prepare yourselves for a pretty bleak vision of our future Earth, however. The reason humans have been despoiling Pandora for its resources for all these years is because Earth is in crisis, which is what sent the Resources Development Administration to the distant alien planet in the first place. Landau told Empire that overpopulation and depletion of natural resources have made life extremely difficult on Earth.

Yet Cameron is not one to dwell solely on doom and gloom—his Avatar films have also been as obsessively focused on the wonder of the natural world and the bounty possible when you live in harmony with it. “We don’t want to paint a bleak picture for where our world is going,” Landua said to Empire. “The films are also about the idea that we can change course.”

Avatar: The Way of Water is still playing in theaters across the country.

For more on Avatar: The Way of Water and the upcoming sequels, check out these stories:

“Avatar: The Way of Water” Rises to 4th Highest-Grossing Film Ever

James Cameron is Feeling Very Good About his “Avatar” Sequels

“Avatar: The Way of Water” Swims Past “Jurassic World” as Seventh-Highest Grossing Film Ever

Why Every Digital Costume in “Avatar: The Way of Water” Really Exists

How “Avatar: The Way of Water” Visual Effects Wizards Conjured Underwater Magic

Featured image: A scene from “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Courtesy 20th Century Studios.