Zoe Saldana as Neytiri in Avatar / 20th Century Fox
Zoe Saldana has revealed that her character Neytiri will face a formidable foe in the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The third movie in the ambitious James Cameron project introduces a new clan of Na’vi, the Mangkwans – also known as the “Ash People”.
Now part of the aquatic Metkayina clan, the new film finds matriarch Neytiri at odds with the leader of the Mangkwans, Varang (Oona Chaplin).
“[She] will meet her match,” Saldana told Empire. “Neytiri doesn’t always step into her role, whereas Varang has, and has taken it to a whole new level.”
As the film begins Neytiri and the Sully family are still mourning the shock death of their young son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) after he was fatally shot at the end of Avatar: The Way of Water.
“We left her in absolute devastation,” Saldana explained. “It’s a level of sadness that is inconceivable, unimaginable.
“That pain is seamlessly followed up on. And because it doesn’t really have anywhere to go, and doesn’t go away, rage can also come from it. [The Sullys] are going to be tested as a family.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash is due for release on December 19.
