The first Avatar: The Way Of Water trailer has officially been released online. After spending years in development, the first sequel to James Cameron‘s massive 2009 blockbuster – Avatar – is right around the corner, with a Christmas holiday premiere already in sight.
After the first Avatar film was re-released in China last year, it overtook Avengers: Endgame to reclaim the title of “the most lucrative film of all time” (based on global ticket sales) when its revenue surpassed $2.8Billion (Kshs 324.52Billion) globally.
Plot
When we last saw Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) in the first Avatar, he’d more or less become the Na’vi clan’s savior after being adopted into the tribe, forgiven for being a human spy and ultimately deciding to side with the 10-foot-tall, blue-skinned aliens in their battle against humanity to save their home planet of Pandora.
The stunning teaser for 20th Century Studio’s The Way Of Water is set more than a decade after the events of the first film.
It introduces dazzling footage that includes gorgeous shots of Pandora’s bright blue water bodies, – both above and below the surface as well as “Toruk“, – the large flying creatures introduced in the previous movie plus a whole lot of new whale-like creatures.
Aside from the stunning environment and mythical creatures in Pandora, the storyline for this film doesn’t really give much about what folks should expect from the native Na’vi clan.
Nevertheless, the trailer shows Jake Sully has made a life for himself on the planet alongside his chosen Na’vi girlfriend, Neytiri (played by Zoe Saldana) and Pandora seems to be flourishing.
There is a sense more or less that trouble is coming, trouble from whom we don’t know, and the Na’vi would be forced to defend their beloved homeland once more from the threat of invaders.
Avatar: The Way Of Water should outdo its predecessor to stand any chance of success
While the first film received much praise for its stunning visual effects, its narrative was widely seen as one of the weak points.
Hopefully Avatar: The Way Of Water is much better in that department, getting more audiences invested in the magical world of Pandora and its inhabitants – the Na’vi tribe.
Jake’s promise to Neytiri that their family is their fortress hints at an emotional throughline (plot) and it would be great if the movie delivered on that potential.
Who’s returned for Avatar: The Way Of Water
While Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington have reprised their iconic lead roles as Neytiri and Jake Sully respectively, they now have kids meaning we’ll be seeing some new faces on-screen.
The eldest son of the family is named Neteyam (Jamie Flatters) while his younger brother is Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and an 8-year-old sister, Tuktirey (Trinity Bliss) as the youngest child.
Jake and Neytiri also have a fourth child, a human child whom they’ve adopted, his name is Javier “Spider” Socorro (Jack Champion).
The trailer features shots of this human child having to wear a special mask in order to survive on the planet since Pandora’s atmosphere is poisonous to humans.
Joining the cast as well are; Titanic star Kate Winslet as Ronal, Michelle Yeoh as Dr. Karina Mogue and Oona Chaplin as Varang, just to name a few.
The Way Of Water is set to star many returning cast members of the original film. Some of them are; Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, Joel David Moore as Dr. Norm Spellman and Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder as Mo’at – Neytiri’s mother.
James Cameron is once again at the helm in the director’s seat and has written the script alongside fellow tv producer & screenwriter Josh Friedman.
There will be more Avatar Films to come in future
Filming on Avatar 3 wrapped up last December, with that film scheduled for a December 20th, 2024 release date. A fourth film in the franchise (Avatar 4) is currently in the works with a planned launch date in December 18th of 2026.
That’s not all however as the franchise appears to be just warming up further into the future, with a 5th installment (Avatar 5) set to premiere six and a half years from now on December 22nd, 2028.
Swedish video game developer, Massive Entertainment – (a subsidiary of Ubisoft Entertainment) – is also releasing Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, which is a first-person open-world action adventure video game adaption of the Avatar film franchise, sometime this year.
Experience the magical world of Pandora in full HD
Looking into a recent report by The Hollywood Reporter, film distributor 20th Century Studio alongside production company, Lightstorm Entertainment are expected to showcase The Way Of Water in a wide variety of display resolution formats.
Its meant to support the wide range of movie theatre configurations around the world. This includes the use of 3D, 4K and a high frame rate of 48 frames per second (FPS).
When can I witness this sci-fi adventure?
It’s been a long 13 years but there’s not long left to wait with Avatar: The Way Of Water hitting the big screens this Christmas, December 16th, 2022.
And yes, you will need your 3D glasses for this one.
