Info in Movie News | With less than three weeks to go before Avatar: Fire and Ash lands in theaters on December 19, ABC News Studios is stepping in with a special that feels more like a mini-series than a one-off promo. Avatar: A New Era – A Special Edition of 20/20 gives viewers a closer, more intimate look at James Cameron’s creative universe and the characters who have shaped one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. Instead of repeating what audiences already know, the special promises something fans rarely receive, actual access inside the engine room where Pandora is built.
According to Collider, the trailer for A New Era showcases how ABC is treating Avatar as more than a cinematic event. The footage opens with the world of Pandora described through words like “beautiful,” “phenomenon,” and “a window into another world.” Cameron, as usual, is the person who is both the inventor and the narrator of the story, leading the viewers to the concepts and the feelings of the series. Right from the start of the first movie in 2009, he has been firm in his belief that Avatar should not only expand visually but also extend its characters morally and spiritually, especially Jake Sully and Neytiri.
The one-hour special takes the audience into Lightstorm Entertainment, the innovative hub where the creation of the new world, the recording of the actors' performance, and the change of the characters happen. The special, instead of depending on the grandeur, brings to the fore the emotional threads that Cameron and his team deem as the core of every Avatar chapter. Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña relate how Jake and Neytiri, in Fire and Ash, are still affected by the loss of their eldest son, Neteyam, thus carrying the heaviness of it. Their grief reshapes how they protect their family and how they respond to the darkness rising across Pandora.
They seem to be talking their characters' development in the movie which is additional ideas. Sigourney mentions the spiritual side of Kiri, Kate thinks of the physical and the emotional side of the underwater performance and Oona by saying that she is walking into the next big turning point of the saga. Their insights make the special feel more like a character-driven series episode than a promotional segment.
An element that many might not have expected is the involvement of Miley Cyrus who made the original song "Dream as One" for Fire and Ash. It came about that Cyrus used the loss of her house in the 2018 wildfire as the primary source of her inspiration, an experience that, according to the artist, changed the whole message of the song to be more about endurance and comeback. Cameron admits that he didn't think about putting a landmark anthem in the threequel at first, but he eventually got the feeling that the emotional side of the story made it a call. As the Avatar franchise is known for linking strong music with its different worlds, this merge, on a personal level, deeply the passing, unity, and survival themes.
The special pairs with ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis, streaming December 15 on ABC News Live, Disney+, and Hulu. Whereas A New Era covered mainly the US premiere, the majority of Davis's footage is centered on the European premiere and he has also gathered the comments and the thoughts of Stephen Lang, Jack Champion, Bailey Bass, and Trinity Bliss. In essence, the two programs constitute a complete two-part experience, one being devoted to the core of the franchise, and the other reflecting the worldwide event at the time of its release.
ABC is essentially putting the documentary on as a series rather than a single installment to highlight the fact that the Avatar franchise is moving towards a wider narrative universe. Cameron has long suggested the franchise will expand beyond the big screen, and specials like this hint at how the universe could evolve in the coming years. Not only do fans receive a purely technical explanation, but they also get a narrative map that helps them understand the story of Fire and Ash, which is essentially about Jake and Neytiri’s fight against the Ash People, a cruel new Na’vi tribe that is headed by Varang. Their harmful alliance with Miles Quaritch energes the Na’vi clans to unite before the whole of Pandora is set on fire.
Cameron says that Fire and Ash is the most emotionally charged chapter of the franchise so far, mixing big action with questioning of morality, grief, and responsibility. ABC’s special works as a starter, a one that makes the audience aware of the stakes before they return to the war for survival on Pandora. Although the movie will be the one to carry the storytelling finality, A New Era provides the support that makes the experience more significant.
Avatar: A New Era is on ABC December 12 and will be available for streaming the following day on Hulu, paving the way for the grand and fiery arrival of Avatar: Fire and Ash.
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