When James Cameron brought audiences back to Pandora in Avatar: The Way Of Water, he upped the stakes considerably – giving Jake Sully and Neytiri a
When James Cameron brought audiences back to Pandora in Avatar: The Way Of Water, he upped the stakes considerably – giving Jake Sully and Neytiri a whole gaggle of Na’vi children, who had arrived in the time-jump from the first film. There was eldest sibling Neteyam, his impetuous younger brother Lo’ak, little sister Tuktirey, as well as adoptive sibling Kiri and human stray Spider. And Cameron didn’t hold back – in Way Of Water’s final act, Neteyam was tragically killed in a raid on the RDA, proving nobody is secure in the ongoing Avatar saga.
It’s a loss that will have solemn ramifications in this year’s Avatar: Fire And Ash – with the rest of the Sully kids, as well as their parents, dealing with the fallout. In Empire’s latest Path To Pandora dispatch – bringing you monthly updates on Fire And Ash as the December release approaches – we caught up with the newborn cast on where they go next. “[Lo’ak] was born to be a leader. But he’s never been given the trust,” says Britain Dalton of his middle-sibling, now facing a different status in the family. “When Neteyam dies… that’s no way that he ever imagined being finally able to be seen. He blames himself.” As for newborn Tuk, “I don’t think she’ll ever be the same,” says Trinity Bliss. “It’s the first time she’s experienced a death in her life. She’s still her small and mighty self, and maybe she’ll move up the Sully ranks.”
Things will be even messier for Spider – the biological son of RDA baddie Quaritch, caught between his adoptive Na’vi family, and the gigantic, blue ‘recom’ revival of his father. “He feels very conflicted,” teases Jack Champion. “His ‘dad’ is reborn into this Na’vi form and still as evil as ever, if not more so, and he still felt he had to save him. You see that guilt play out, and the evolution of Spider trying to figure out where he belongs.” Meanwhile, Tsireya, Lo’ak’s closest ally – and possible romantic counterpart – from the Metkayina clan, will see her bond with the Sullys “continue to grow,” says Bailey Bass. “Tsireya has this turmoil between what’s right and standing up for people versus what you’re taught your entire life.” It’s official: the stakes have never been higher.
Read Empire’s full interview with Britain Dalton, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion and Bailey Bass in The Fantastic Four: First Steps issue – on sale Thursday 5 June. Pre-order a copy online here. The Path To Pandora continues every month in Empire – subscribe here to get the magazine every month and hear the latest Na’vi news. Avatar: Fire And Ash comes to UK cinemas from 19 December.
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