There’s plenty to look at in the new Avatar: Fire And Ash trailer. We have the incoming fearsome Varang; the return of Jake Sully and Neytiri, whose relationship is under strain after losing their son; lots of mind-blowing battle shots. But something you won’t see in that trailer is Peylak. The third film in the saga sees David Thewlis enter James Cameron’s epic sci-fi universe as an all-new character, the leader of the Wind Traders – whose jellyfish-like giant ship-creatures can be seen extensively in that teaser. But the sky captain himself isn’t in there. While Empire has previously unveiled Peylak in concept art form, here’s your exclusive first look at the character as he appears in Fire And Ash.
As Cameron tells Empire in our world-exclusive Avatar: Fire And Ash issue, Peylak and the Wind Traders make their grand entrance here – but they’ll have a bigger part to play as the story continues. “They’re going to be throughout the cycle of 3, 4 and 5,” he teases, promising a different type of Na’vi clan. “They’re still 100% Na’vi but they’re not place-specific, which is different because most indigenous people are very rooted in their sense of place.” With Peylak, the director says he’s playing “a long game”, extending far beyond the events of Fire And Ash. “[It was] the same thing with Kate’s character and Cliff Curtis’ characters [Ronal and Tonowari] in the last film.”
Whatever the Wind Traders’ destiny ends up being, Cameron promises it’ll be worth holding out for. “You’re gonna wait for it, but it’s satisfying,” he says, citing inspiration from one of the great cinematic sagas. “The Godfather movies had a big impact on me, and I remember I really wanted to go on that epic, novelistic journey of those characters.” It’s this kind of world-building that makes Avatar what it is – not just presenting the Wind Traders as an organic part of the Pandoran world, but understanding the nitty-gritty of their way of life. “Somebody said to me once, and it kind of resonated: ‘It’s fantasy, but it has a level of procedural detail that makes me believe what’s happening’,” says Cameron. “We only see a glimpse of it, but it feels like a glimpse through a keyhole of a much greater reality that’s persistent and ongoing, you know? That’s the feeling that we want to create.” Get ready for a whole new vantage point on Pandora.
Read Empire’s full Avatar: Fire And Ash story – going to Avatar HQ for two days with James Cameron as he works on the film, also featuring new cast interviews, never-before-seen images and more – in the September 2025 issue, on sale Thursday 31 July. Pre-order a copy online here. Avatar: Fire And Ash comes to UK cinemas from 19 December.
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