James Cameron Changed ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ After Audiences Saw ‘Way of Water’

You, the audience, may have influenced Avatar: Fire and Ash. The third film in James Cameron’s Avatar series arrives on December 19, and although it was mostly filmed alongside 2022’s The Way of Water, Cameron told io9 that he went back and made adjustments after seeing how fans reacted to the last movie.
“After Way of Water came out, I started to reevaluate and change things a little bit to answer what the audience was responding to,” Cameron said during an interview in Los Angeles last week. “Who are they interested in? What parts are they interested in? I even wrote new scenes, and we went back and redid some things. It was very fluid and creative, and the actors were always ready. It didn’t matter. I’d call them with an idea for a scene, and they’d come back, drop into character, and return to that world so easily. They loved it. They’d be off doing other films, but when they came back, they’d say it felt like home base in a strange way.”
Cameron did not reveal exactly what he changed, but fans can speculate. One possibility is Payakan, the rogue Tulkun who bonds with Lo’ak and became an unexpected fan favorite. Payakan features heavily in Fire and Ash, so that may have influenced the updates.
Another possibility is the story surrounding Kiri, the young Sully child played by Sigourney Weaver. Kiri played a major role in The Way of Water and quickly became a favorite among viewers. She is even more central in Fire and Ash, with several answers on the way, so that may have been expanded.
One thing Cameron did not add is new material with Spider, the human character played by Jack Champion. Spider is a major presence in the new film, but Champion looks very different now compared to almost ten years ago when he filmed his scenes. Matching his original look for new footage would be extremely difficult, though if anyone could pull it off, Cameron might be the one.
When Fire and Ash reaches theaters, audiences will likely discover what was added or changed. For now, what would you want to see more of in the film?