Twelve years later we’re getting a sequel to the highest grossing movie of all time. So yeah, Avatar 2: The Way of Water, no pressure then. The sequel has been in the works for a long time as James Cameron, director of Avatar wanted to expand on the world created by him. After Disney’s acquisition of Fox, they not only green lit the sequel rather other 4 follow-up films as well that are suppose to release every 2 years. The studio has sure put in a lot of trust in Cameron and given his track record with box office numbers, they’ve taken a calculated risk. Earlier this year we’d gotten our first look at the sequel as the official teaser was released by Disney. Since then we’ve been getting small nuggets of information and footages for the sequel but no official trailer yet.
Some official images have been released that give us an idea of what specific characters will look like in the sequel. Like Kate Winslet’s Na’vi. Considering the budget the sequel is being made on i.e., $250 million it is fair to say Cameron is cooking something meaty for the audiences. The visuals in the film might and should be better than the original, the heavy post production work might be the reason behind the trailer being delayed. According to reports, the new and final trailer should drop, before Black Panther: Wakanda Forever releases. However, that is not the most interesting news of the day. James Cameron- the director of the Avatar series has openly stated that Avatar 4 and 5 will only be made if The Way of Water makes money. However, the last I heard… wasn’t the first act of Avatar 4 already shot?
Avatar 4 and 5 Might Be Shelved?
While speaking to The New York Times, the writer-director of the Avatar series and another list of box office mammoths revealed the future of the Avatar franchise. The director said, “If we make some money with two and three, it’s all mapped out,” Cameron said. “Scripts are already written, everything’s designed. So just add water.” However, even if Cameron does get a chance to make more Avatar films then too he’d rather pass the baton to someone else after the third movie, some he’d trust enough to handle his gigantic franchise.
The Terminator director said, “the Avatar films themselves are kind of all-consuming,” adding, “I’ve got some other things I’m developing as well that are exciting,” and explaining that he’ll likely eventually “want to pass the baton to a director that I trust to take over.”
Even if he doesn’t wish to direct the upcoming Avatar movies that doesn’t mean he is not interested to make more Avatar films. The director had previously mentioned why he wants to make more Avatar films, “I just look back on everybody’s work and just so grateful to have had an opportunity to work with these amazing people,” adding that he thinks that’s why he “promptly went out and wrote another and another and another Avatar.”
However, Cameron is clear. He doesn’t just want to make one movie after the other and so on. He doesn’t want the sequel to be forced rather he wants the sequels to feel like something without which the narrative isn’t complete and for that he wants to tell a bigger story. He initially explained that he wanted “to play a larger game,” and not, “just do a movie and do a movie and do a movie,” but rather he wanted to “tell a bigger story.” He then compared the potential films to The Lord of the Rings adaptations, joking, “Now, that was great in theory, but then I had to go create the frickin’ novels from which to adapt it.”
Avatar: The Way of Water is slated to release on 16th December 2022.
If you have any questions regarding Avatar: The Way of Water, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay tuned. As usual, like, subscribe and share our articles as we here are trying to build a community of people High on Cinema!
