“This makes everything else seem tiny in comparison”: Simon Franglen on Avatar: Fire and Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash marks a darker turn for James Cameron’s long-running saga, shifting away from spectacle towards unease, fracture and loss. Music plays a more internal role than in previous instalments, shaping the film’s emotional temperature rather than underlining its scale. The score is composed by Simon Franglen, who continues his work within the Avatar universe while subtly expanding its sonic palette to reflect a world altered by ash and conflict.

In conversation with The Upcoming, Franglen spoke about the unusually long gestation of the score, which began in 2018 with a funeral song that helped define the movie’s emotional centre. He described a close and exacting collaboration with James Cameron, whose belief in music as an emotional driver often pushed scenes away from silence. Franglen also discussed designing bespoke instruments – including 3D-printed creations and the Mongolian morin khuur – his resistance to thematic repetition, and his aim for the score to function not only within the feature but as an emotionally coherent listening experience in its own right.