Avatar: The Way of Water is a 2022 American epic science fiction film and the sequel to the 2009 film Avatar, both directed by James Cameron. The film is distributed by 20th Century Studios as the second installment in the Avatar film series.
Cameron produced the film with Jon Landau and wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, based on a story co-written with Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. After more than ten years, Avatar 2: The Way of Water is finally here. Thus, The long-awaited sequel will hit theaters worldwide on 16th December 2022.
Cameron, who said in 2006 that he would like to make a sequel if Avatar was successful, announced the first of two sequels in 2010 following the widespread success of the first film, with The Way of Water targeted for release in 2014.
However, three more sequels (for a total of five Avatar films) and the need to develop new technology to capture the film’s performance underwater, a feat never before accomplished, where required. The reason for the significant delay was to allow the crew more time to work on writing, pre-production, and visual effects.
The film’s initial shooting began in Manhattan Beach, California, on August 15, 2017, followed by principal photography on September 25, 2017, in Wellington, along with Avatar 3. Filming ended in late September 2020 after three years of shooting. With an estimated budget of $350–400 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made.
After James Cameron’s box office smash hit Avatar: The way of water is one of the biggest films of the year. However, we are still in the last few weeks of 2022. So, there’s no better time than now to discuss everything we know so far about one of the last few new movies of 2022.
Below, we’ve discussed everything you need to know about Avatar 2 ahead of its release in theatres. This includes the release date, trailer, full cast, plot information, franchise history, future, and more. a few major spoilers for Avatar 2009 follow, as well as a few minor spoilers for Avatar 2. So, here’s everything you need to know about Avatar 2: The way of Water.
Avatar 2: The Way of Wate ( Release Date)
Avatar: The Way of Water will release worldwide on Friday, 16th December 2022.
Originally, it was to release in theaters in December 2014. But due to some reason, this film could not be released in December 2014. However, thanks to several problems at the pre-production stage, including a long wait for the required new technology to become available.
Thus, the movie has been postponed eight Times. Luckily, it won’t be hidden from us for much longer. And, interestingly, Avatar 2: The Way of Water will make released almost 13 years after the original 2009 Avatar sci-fi movie.
The movie is reportedly three hours and 12 minutes long. And it looks like iconic director James Cameron, cast and crew are trying to make rich anticipation between movies.
Avatar: The Way of Water (Trailer)
Two new Avatar movie trailers precede the launch of Avatar: The Way of Water. The first, the official trailer, debuted in early November, and you can view it above. Concurrently, the second teaser, titled “Monolith,” was released in November 2022.
Sometime back, we only saw a few short teaser trailers which captured the spectacle of amazing CGI and excellent effects but that teaser or trailer did not give us a complete idea about the story of the film. But the latest movie trailer gives us a comprehensive look at Pandora, some key plot points, plenty of action, and a sneak peek of dialogue.
Also, 18 minutes of unseen footage was revealed at the Brazilian Comic-Con Experience (CCXP). According to Collider, the footage reveals many of the details we earlier saw in the two November trailers. We will learn more about Pandora’s Sea and the people who live there. The story about Jake and the Neytiri children, and – SPOILER! – We find that Doctor Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) was pregnant when she died in the original film.
Avatar 2: The Way of the Water (Plot)
Here’s the official plot summary, courtesy of Disney:
“The action takes place more than ten years after the events of the first Avatar: The Way of the Water film. The lives they go to to protect each other, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.”
It doesn’t reveal much, so what did the cast and crew say that could be more important than the plot? In an interview with Variety, James Cameron called the film a “family saga”. Additionally, it takes place 14 years after the original and focuses on Jake (whose human consciousness was permanently uploaded into his Na’vi body), Neytiri, and their children.
In an interview with RNZ, executive producer Jon Landau elaborated: “This is the story of Sally’s family and what it takes to keep your family together. Jake and Neytiri have a family in the film, they are forced to leave their family. And they go out and explore the different areas of Pandora, which includes spending a lot of time in the water, on the water, around the water.”
This explains the film’s title. It’s clear from the trailers that much of the film will take place around the oceans of Pandora, with the recently introduced Metacana sea clan playing a significant role.
In an interview with Slashfilm, Landau spoke more about the decision to place most of the film in and around the ocean. “We made this decision so that the sequel doesn’t necessarily do what other sci-fi films do,” he explained. We realized that we could travel all our lives and not see all the true wonders of the earth. So Jim decides to put a sequel on Pandora. Our stories also introduce us to different environments and different cultures.
As you might expect, this isn’t just sailing the seas of Pandora. There will be a skirmish with people from the Resource Development Association (RDA) – the military organization that waged war on Pandora’s Na’vi in the original film.
Avatar: The Way of Water follows the plot of the original, and many interviews have emphasized the final film. And all subsequent stories will serve as standalone stories.
According to Landau (according to the slash interview linked above). This is one of the reasons the sequel has not been filmed for so long.” We’re making individual films that will be different […] knowing we wanted to tell multiple stories, we didn’t want to be content with one script,” he said. “We wanted to sort out the scripts for all the films we wanted to make before we started making them. It took us time.”
Avatar 2: The Way of Water (Casting)
Here you can see the entire cast list of Avatar 2: The Way of Water.
- Sam Worthington as Jake Sully
- Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri
- Sigourney Weaver as Kiri
- Kate Winslet as Ronal
- Stephen Lang as Colonel Quaritch
- Vin Diesel
- Michelle Yeoh as Dr. Karina Mogue
- Cliff Curtis as Tonowari
- Jack Champion as Javier Socorro
- Oona Chaplin as Varang
- Trinity Bliss as Tuktirey
- Michelle Rodriguez
- Jamie Flatters as Neteyam
- Filip Geljo as Aonung
- Britain Dalton as Lo’ak
- Bailey Bass as Tsireya
- Wes Studi
- Chloe Coleman as Lo’ak
- Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge
- John Refoua
- Edie Falco as General Ardmore
- Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman
- Laz Alonso
- Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin
- CJ Jones as Metkayina Interpreter
- Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel
- Matt Gerald as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet
- Joely Richardson
- C.C.H. Pounder as Mo’at
- Keston John as Va’ru
- Alicia Vela-Bailey as Zdinarsk
- Brendan Cowell as Mick Scoresby
- Scarlett Fernandez
- Duane Wichman-Evans as Rotxo
- Ava Diakhaby
- David Brenner
- Christopher Troy
- Jeremy Irwin as Young Neteyam
- John West Jr
- Jake McLean as Navi
- Ryan Terk
Avatar: The Way of Water (Budget)
The original Avatar film was released in 2009, was a huge success, and remains the highest-grossing film of all time. And the good thing is that before Avatar 2 success, Director James Cameron is planning to make more Avatar Series.
Thus, for years he worked on the script and concept for the sequel. But there are several obstacles along the way, including the Disney/Fox merger, technical difficulties, and Covid-19 delays.
James Cameron’s film Avatar is a big-budget luxury film. Avatar 1 had a budget of around $237 million and raked in $2.9 billion worldwide in 2009. In contrast, Avatar 2: The Way of Water has been prepared with a budget ranging from $350 to $400 million.
Let us tell you that Avatar: The Way of Water is a sequel to the 2009 film Avatar. After about 13 years, the second part of the film has been released.
So, how much can he earn globally? According to Box Office Pro, Avatar 2 could earn between $135 million and $175 million in its opening weekend. With the holiday season just around the corner (and little competition), you can expect it to dominate the box office throughout the new year.
While the first film was still hugely popular. However, some are concerned that the sequel may not measure up. This is especially true when you consider that it is one of the most expensive films ever made, with an estimated budget of $350 million to $400 million. However, time will tell if The Way of Water can get close to the original $2.93 billion.
What Underwater Technology Used In Avatar: The Way of Water Movie?
From The Abyss to Terminator 2 and from Titanic to Avatar, James Cameron’s new film is usually over the top when it comes to cinematic ambitions. Expect Avatar: The Way of Water to be no exception, as Cameron undeniably delivers the visuals we’ve seen on screen before.
Thanks to producer Jon Landau, we can see a man (pictured above) wearing a CGI underwater suit that looks like a sea creature.
One of the key developments is the world’s first underwater performance capture technology. “The problem with water is not the underwater part, but the interface between air and water, which forms a moving mirror,” Cameron told Collider.
“This moving mirror reflects all points and markers and creates a bunch of false markers. It’s a bit like a fighter jet dropping a bunch of chaff to confuse a missile’s radar system.” This creates thousands of decoys, so we had to figure out how to solve this problem, which we did.”
We can see more in the image below with Kate Winslet, whose scuba suit looks like something that could have a big tail behind her, as well as weights to keep her underwater. broke Tom Cruise’s record by holding it for a full seven minutes and 12 seconds. Winslet told The Hollywood Reporter, “I had to learn how to free dive to play this role.”
Cameron also wants to revolutionize the use of 3D in cinemas once again. And it will be especially interesting to see how he does it. The 3D depiction of Avatar sparked a new level of interest in stereoscopic projection. And for several years after its release, 3D screenings of blockbusters dominated multiplexes.
Cinephile interest subsequently waned. Cameron blamed the change on Hollywood’s preference for converting films shot in 2D to 3D in post-processing rather than using true stereoscopic cameras.
Speaking at the Vivid Light Festival in Sydney, as reported by MovieWeb, he expressed his belief that the sequel to Avatar will offer the best 3D experience possible, in his opinion.“
Avatar 2: The Way to Water: Future Series
There is a lot of pressure on Avatar 2 to do well. According to Deadline, Director James Cameron has suggested that the commercial success of Avatar 2 could potentially impact the production of future films in the franchise. As for the release dates of Avatar 2 and its sequels, they are set to hit our cinema screens on December 20, 2024, December 16, 2026, and December 22, 2028.
Furthermore, the next three movies’ names have not been officially announced. Although, BBC News saw “documentation” detailing the names: (1) Avatar: The Seed Bearer, (2) Avatar: The Tulkun Rider, and (3) Avatar: The Quest for Eywa. These names have not yet been verified, so we advise you to keep an air of skepticism about them.
Avatar 2: The Way of Water is the second and last entry in the series, but Cameron’s place in the history of cinema is certain. We are confident that following the release of Avatar 2, he will desire to persist in developing his latest franchise, irrespective of the individuals involved in future endeavors.
Cameron said he will pass on the director’s baton after a potential third part. But he is well aware that his future depends on his box office success.
