After years of suspense, Disney on Wednesday unveiled the first trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar sequel. Known as Avatar: The Way of Water, the 20th Century Studios sci-fi adventure film is scheduled to release overseas starting December 14.
Cameron said the long-delayed sequel would "push the limits of what cinema can do". Avatar was the highest-earning movie of all time,
Attendees at the CinemaCon movie theater industry summit were invited to don 3D glasses and return to Pandora, with first footage of Avatar: The Way of Water showing Na'vi characters swimming beneath the planet's oceans and soaring through its skies.#Avatar2 has been officially titled, 'Avatar: The Way of Water'
via @Disney at #CinemaCon pic.twitter.com/NpJ54KZHgO
— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) April 27, 2022
This film is the first of four planned sequels to the $2.8 billion-grossing original from 2009.
Speaking about the film at CinemaCon, producer Jon Landau said, “One of the strengths of Jim Cameron’s scripts is they are always universal and relatable themes that he weaves into them."“At the center of each of the four sequels will be the Sully family. Each story will be a stand-alone and each will come to its own conclusion,” the Oscar-winning producer said, according to a Deadline report. There will be a “fulfilling resolution to each film, but when looked at as a whole the journey across all four will create a larger epic saga.”
Meanwhile, confirming the film's name, Disney distribution chief Tony Chambers said, "I can assure you it's been well worth the wait."
Whether on Earth or Pandora, celebrate the beauty of our worlds with #DisneyPlus. #EarthMonth pic.twitter.com/HhKtn2UBuK
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) April 21, 2022
He promised giant technological leaps forward from the original, whose main characters Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) now have a family.
"We set out once again to push the limits of what cinema can do," said Cameron.
To reacquaint audiences with Pandora nearly 13 years after the smash hit original, which sparked a 3D wave in Hollywood, the first Avatar will be re-released in theaters in September.
(With inputs from AFP)