James Cameron’s epic Avatar dazzled audiences back in 2009 and the wait for a sequel has been a long one. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer as a long-awaited return to Pandora is nigh. Avatar 2, now known as Avatar: The Way of Water, finally hits theatres this December, and those lucky enough to see early footage of the film are describing it as “astonishing”.
The footage was released by Disney, who inherited the franchise after acquiring 20th Century Fox in 2019, at their CinemaCon presentation on Wednesday. Attendees of the convention were given 3D glasses to watch the minutes-long trailer, which contained almost no dialogue.
Instead, exhibitors were immersed in different regions across the dazzling world of Pandora through sweeping visuals of the planet’s crystal blue oceans and lakes. The footage also shows the local tribe of Na’vi interacting with various species resembling whales and pelicans, some of which flew through the screen and into audience members’ faces thanks to the three-dimensional technology.
For now, the teaser footage will remain exclusive to those in attendance, but a wide-scale release isn’t too far away!
It was announced that the teaser trailer will be released exclusively in theatres ahead of Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which land in theatres on May 6th. It was also announced that the original Avatar will be re-released in theatres on September 23rd, with restored picture and sound.
While we wait for the footage, take a look at some concept art for the film that has already been released.
James Cameron, who returns to the director’s chair for Avatar: The Way of Water, wasn’t in attendance but did appear in a video message from New Zealand.“With the first Avatar, we set out to push the limits of the big screen. With the new Avatar films, we’re pushing those limits even farther, with 3D, with high dynamic range, with high frame rate, higher resolution, and a much greater reality in our visual effects.”
Cameron added:
“While I’m making a movie, it’s working with the actors that I find the most rewarding. It’s been an amazing adventure to explore Pandora again with our friends: Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang, not to mention our new cast members, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, and this incredible group of extremely talented teenagers, all of whom quickly distinguished themselves in their roles.”
This won’t be the only return to Pandora as Avatar is set to release four new sequels. According to producer Jon Landau, who also spoke at CinemaCon, each of the four Avatar sequels will be about Jake and Neytiri’s family. While each will be a standalone film, the journey across all four movies will create an even larger, connected, epic saga.
“One of the strengths of James Cameron’s scripts is the almost universal and relatable themes that he weaves into them,” Landau told the audience. “And there’s no more relatable theme than family. At the center of each of our four sequels will be the Sully family. Jake and Neytiri’s family. Each sequel will play out as a standalone movie. Each story will come to its own conclusion. Each movie will deliver the audience fulfilling emotional resolutions in each and every film. however, when looked at as a whole, the journey across all four movies will create an even larger, connected epic saga.”