Avatar: The Way of Water will finally hit cinemas soon, and the release will undoubtedly be worth the wait. After all, this epic science-fiction film was due to be released in December 2021 but had to be pushed back a whole year due to the Covid-19 crisis.
But now, with the release date on the horizon, James Cameron's record-breaking movie, which is the sequel to 2009's Avatar film, is the hot topic on everyone's lips. And what's even more exciting is that after this movie, we have more visually-stunning Avatar films to look forward to, as director James has plans for three more films in the franchise, ending in 2028. We can definitely get behind that!
But in the meantime, what else do we know about Avatar: The Way of Water? To find out more about the release date, plot, filming process etc, GLAMOUR has you covered below.
Who stars in Avatar: The Way of Water?
The movie stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang. Also starring in the film is Kate Winslet, who reunites with her Titanic director James despite previously stating she would hesitate to work with him again because he was a "really tough nut to crack". However, in a recent interview with GQ, James explained that Kate was willing to work with him again because she "had something to prove to herself".
What is the plot of Avatar: The Way of Water?
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) must leave their home and fight to keep Pandora safe from the outside world as an ancient threat resurfaces.
The official film plot reads: "Jake Sully and Neytiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans."
Is there a trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water?
Yes! Watch below:
What happened during filming for Avatar: The Way of Water?
Kate Winslet broke Tom Cruise's record as she managed to hold her breath underwater for seven minutes and twelve seconds during filming for the movie.
"It was brilliant, and I was very proud of myself, and I'll probably never be able to do it again," Kate told Entertainment Tonight. "That came at the end of four weeks worth of quite intense training, and it was in the dive tank, it was in the training tank. But I loved it."
Is there any backlash to the movie?
Well, the runtime of the movie is a lengthy three hours and ten minutes - which has prompted some criticism. However, James has defended the runtime. "The goal is to tell an extremely compelling story on an emotional basis. I would say the emphasis in the new film is more on character, more on story, more on relationships, more on emotion," James told TotalFilm. "We didn't spend as much time on relationship and emotion in the first film as we do in the second film, and it's a longer film because there's more characters to service. There's more story to service."
How many more Avatar movies can we see in the future?
There are plans to release a total of five Avatar films, ending in December 2028. However, James noted that if The Way of Water underperforms, he may just end the franchise with the third film.
"The market could be telling us we're done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: 'OK, let's complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,' if it's just not profitable."
He continued to TotalFilm: "We're in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even," he added. "It's the one-two punch – the pandemic and streaming. Or, conversely, maybe we'll remind people what going to the theatre is all about. This film definitely does that. The question is: how many people give a sh** now?"
Avatar: The Way of Water hits cinemas on December 16.
A very royal comeback!
