LOS ANGELES — Acclaimed director James Cameron is raising the stakes with the third chapter of his celebrated “Avatar” series.

The latest installment, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” is set to hit cinemas on December 19. On The Red Carpet provides an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the film’s creation, featuring insights from both Cameron and the film’s star-studded ensemble.

The story continues directly from where “Avatar: The Way of Water” left off, as the Sully family mourns the death of their eldest son. Meanwhile, a formidable adversary, the Ash People, makes their presence known.

“Your goddess has no dominion here,” proclaims Varang, the enigmatic leader of the Ash People.

Oscar-winning actress Zoe Saldaña, who reprises her role as Neytiri, a valiant Na’vi warrior and mother, shared with On The Red Carpet, “The film is rich with heart and hope. It conveys powerful messages about a family’s resilience after a profound loss. It shows that love can be rekindled and healing is possible.”

Meanwhile, the Ash People aren’t the Sully family’s only problem. There are also still the humans threatening to attack again at any moment.

Sam Worthington, who stars as Jake Sully, teased an epic battle when we saw him on the red carpet at the world premiere in Hollywood.

“Jake says at the end of ‘Avatar 2,’ this is where we make our stand, so I think it’s pretty clear where we’re going,” he said. “This, to me, is like the final battle. The final showdown and that’s always exciting to go and try to film.”

Fans of the “Avatar” franchise will want to see our interview with James Cameron on the making of this latest sci-fi adventure, featuring new advancements in the technology that helped both of the first two “Avatar” films win Oscars for Best Visual Effects. But Cameron explained there’s a lot more to the movie than just the stunning visuals.

“People don’t quite understand how we do it,” Cameron told On The Red Carpet. “And they don’t know, is it like a voice part in an animated film? No… I worked for 18 months with the cast before I even started lighting or doing camera or all that stuff, because that all comes later.”

Also in this special episode, Sigourney Weaver tells us what it was like playing a teenager again after describing her own teenager years as “miserable.”

Plus, hear from the villains of “Avatar: Fire and Ash” — Stephen Lang, who returns as Quaritch, and Oona Chaplin, who plays new villain Varang.

“She is the most different character to me that I’ve ever played, by far,” Varang told On The Red Carpet. “I had to really go into the depths of my relationship to power and realize that I’m like constantly like apologizing and making sure everyone’s okay in my life, and then she’s not like that.”

You’ll also see Miley Cyrus’ big moment at the film’s premiere and meet the young stars who play Spider (Jack Champion), Tsireya (Bailey Bass), and Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss).

And we’re opening our Video Vault for a look back at the original Avatar premiere in 2009!

Watch “On The Red Carpet Presents: Avatar: Fire and Ash” in the video player above.