Avatar 3 casts Oona Chaplin as Ash People leader

By Kieran Burt.

In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Avatar producer John Landau has revealed that Game of Thrones star, and granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, Oona Chaplin wll play the leader of the Ash People. 

Called Varang, she will lead a clan of Na’vi described as “an aggressive” and “volcanic,” by Landau. 

The film will also offer up a new, more positive perspective on the humans, otherwise known as the sky people. 

“”There are good humans and there are bad humans,” Landau said. “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.” 

Landau went on to explain that Avatar 4 will have a “big time jump” leading into Avatar 5, which will be partially set on Earth. 

He says that their version of Earth will be bleaker than our own, with “over-population and a depletion of our natural resources that make life harder.”

“But we don’t want to paint a bleak picture for where our world is going. The films are also about the idea that we can change course.”

Cameron announced the existence of the Ash People back in January, and Landau also confirmed that Avatar 5 would head to Earth at that point too. 

Landau explained that part of the reason the fifth film would go to Earth is to “open Neytiri’s eyes to what exists on Earth.”

Avatar 3 has already completed filming, with a release date expected to be December 20, 2024. Avatar 4 will release in 2026, and Avatar 5 in 2028. 

At the box office, Avatar: The Way of Water has been pushed down to number two at the American charts for the first time since its release. It remained at number one for seven weeks. 

It is the fourth highest grossing film globally, with a total of $2.174 billion.