There’s nothing quite like a trip to Pandora. When James Cameron first unleashed Avatar in 2009, audiences were swept away by the bioluminescent par
There’s nothing quite like a trip to Pandora. When James Cameron first unleashed Avatar in 2009, audiences were swept away by the bioluminescent paradise he presented, a stunning backdrop to the love story of human grunt Jake Sully and Na’vi warrior Neytiri. Then, when Avatar: The Way Of Water finally arrived in 2022, Cameron introduced us to Pandora’s teeming oceans, while the Sully story deepened considerably with tangled family ties. Now, a third trip to Pandora awaits in Avatar: Fire And Ash – one that’s set to expand Cameron’s imaginative world in all kinds of explosive ways, as darkness comes to the verdant moon. Buckle up: Pandora is going to go up in flames.
The novel issue of Empire is a massive world-exclusive with unparalleled access to Avatar: Fire And Ash. We joined James Cameron for two whole days at Avatar HQ, getting a first-hand look at how he crafts his mind-blowing sci-fi epics with astonishing precision – all while peeking ahead at what’s to come in the saga’s thrilling third chapter. Inside, we talk to Sam Worthington about the darkness awaiting Jake Sully after The Way Of Water’s tragic finale; we get an audience with magnetic novel Na’vi villain Varang, as Oona Chaplin joins the cast; we watch Cameron as he puts the finishing touches to shots from the biggest Avatar movie yet; and he teases the future of the franchise beyond Fire And Ash. It’s packed with never-before-seen imagery – with novel characters, novel landscapes, and novel cast shots from behind the scenes. Pandora awaits.
This month’s newsstand cover unveils Varang in all her glory, wreathed in flame as she prepares to enter the fray.
This month’s subscriber cover is illustrated by Dylan Cole, showing Varang and her Ash Clan ranks ready to wage war.
And that’s not all. Also inside, we limber up with The Running Man; stitch together a novel look at Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein; rock out with Spinal Tap themselves; venture on A Big Bold Beautiful Journey with Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell; and delve into the wild history of a cinematic one-off fuelled by a perceptional-altering substance – spinach, of course – in a look back at Robert Altman’s Popeye.
It’s an issue you’ll be desperate to neurally link with – bringing you right into the nerve centre of 2025’s biggest film. Find a copy on newsstands from Thursday 31 July, or pre-order a copy online from Monday 28 July. Avatar: Fire And Ash comes to UK cinemas from 19 December.
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