You’ve probably heard the buzz about Avatar: The Way of Water coming out of Cinemacon, or seen the latest trailer yourself ahead of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. After more than a decade of development, and eight years after it was initially due to hit theaters, James Cameron’s sequel to box office champion Avatar is right around the corner. And now those who have only heard about how gorgeous the film looks can see it for themselves.
From the very beginning, Cameron has let us know that Avatar 2 would take us deep into Pandora’s oceans, and that is certainly seen in this footage. Cameron has spent years developing the technology used to make this movie exactly how he wanted. That includes something never done before, the shooting of motion capture performances underwater.
As groundbreaking as Avatar was in its astonishing visual effects at the time, Cameron has spent all of this time pushing the boundaries even further. Much of the cast also returns, joined by some new faces and one key reunion: Kate Winslet. She’s joined by Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Kate Winslet, Giovanni Ribisi, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Sigourney Weaver, Oona Chaplin, and Vin Diesel.
Here is the synopsis:
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, “Avatar: The Way of Water” begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure. Directed by James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, the film stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement and Kate Winslet.
Will all of this be enough to overcome over a decade that saw Avatar become something of a punchline? We’ll find out when Avatar: The Way of Water opens on December 16th. It’s taken this long, but I’m finally excited to return to Pandora!
