Avatar 2 footage at CinemaCon reveals oceanic vistas and Na'vi family dynamics
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
It's time to return to Pandora. It's only been, what? Thirteen years.
Disney rolled out the first footage from James Cameron's Avatar 2, the sequel to the sci-fi epic that was once the highest-grossing movie in the world until Avengers: Endgame came along. We already know one thing: Avatar, much like Fast and Furious, is about family.
Sam Worthington returns as Jake Sully, the human soldier who became a Na'vi, alongside Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri. But there are also loads of new faces popping up, from Edie Falco to Michelle Yeoh to Kate Winslet to the actors playing much younger generations of Na'vi.
Cameron hit the CinemaCon stage in Las Vegas on Wednesday to reveal the official title for the next Avatar sequel will be Avatar: The Way of Water before rolling out the first footage.
"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 said.
The film will introduce the offspring of Jake and Neytiri, as well as members of the Metkayina, a clan of Na'vi that dwell around oceanic reefs. That includes Cliff Curtis as Metkayina leader Tonowari and Winslet as the mysterious Ronal.
"While I'm making a movie, it's working with the actors that I find the most rewarding," Cameron said. "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."
20th Century Studios Na'vi enjoy the beachfront views of Pandora in 'Avatar 2.'
The footage was comprised of gorgeous, colorful ocean views, glimpses underwater, soaring mid-air shots, and lots of Na'vi. But the focus was on Jake and Neytiri's family.
"I know one thing: Wherever we go, this family is our fortress," Jake says, the only spoken words of the entire teaser.
Britain Dalton, Filip Geljo, Jamie Flatters, Bailey Bass, Trinity Bliss, and Duane Evans Jr. have been cast to play members of Jake's family and members of the Metkayina.
Cameron says the official Avatar: The Way of Water teaser trailer will be shown only in theaters attached to screenings of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before debuting online a week later.
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."
Avatar 2 is currently scheduled to open in theaters this Dec. 16. Meanwhile, the original Avatar will be remastered and re-released in theaters on Sep. 23.
Related content:
