Kate Winslet's Na'vi leader rides into battle in new photo from Avatar: The Way of Water

Kate Winslet is ready to bear her fangs as the leader of a new Na'vi tribe in the long-in-the-making Avatar sequel.

The Oscar winner rushes into combat as Rolan on the back of a battle-fish, spear in hand, in a new photo from Avatar: The Way of Water that graces the cover of Empire's latest issue. Winslet tells the U.K.-based magazine that her character is a "deeply loyal and fearless leader" of the water-dwelling Na'vi tribe, the Metkayina.

Director James Cameron, who's prepping multiple Avatar sequels, previously told EW that Winslet "blew everybody away when she did a seven-and-a-half-minute breath hold" underwater for the motion-capture performance as Rolan.

"One of my favorite memories was we had this circular tank, maybe 40 feet wide, with a big glass portal in it. I walked by one day and I see Kate Winslet walking on the bottom of the tank," producer Jon Landau also recalled to EW. "She's walking towards me and sees me in the window, and she just waves, gets to the end of the wall, turns around, and walks all the way back."

Here's her character now realized through CG Na'vi magic.

Empire Empire 'Avatar' cover

Avatar: The Way of Water picks up more than a decade after the events of 2009's Avatar, which became the highest-grossing movie in the world at the time. We'll see the return of Zoe Saldaña's Neytiri and Sam Worthington's Jake, along with their new family — kids included.

Viewers will see "the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure," according to a formal plot synopsis.

Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang also return to the franchise, which will feature newcomers like Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, and Jemaine Clement.

The film will be released in theaters this Dec. 16.

Related content:

• Breaking down the images and implications of the Avatar: Way of Water trailer

• Zoe Saldaña says Avatar 2 return is humbling and exciting: 'The wait is finally over'

• Avatar 2 footage at CinemaCon reveals oceanic vistas and Na'vi family dynamics