Avatar: The Way of Water (also known as Avatar 2) is a film directed by James Cameron and produced by 20th Century Studios. Cameron is producing the film alongside Jon Landau, with Josh Friedman initially announced as Cameron’s co-writer; however, it was later revealed that Cameron, Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Shane Salerno all participated in the writing process of all sequels before being credited with separate scripts, leaving the final writing credits unclear.
Following the great success of the original film, Cameron announced the first two sequels in 2010, with The Way of Water set for a 2014 release. Cameron had mentioned in 2006 that if Avatar proved successful, he would like to produce sequels. However, the addition of three more sequels (to the first) and the need to develop new technology in order to film performance capture scenes underwater, which had never been done before, resulted in significant delays to give the crew more time to work on the writing, preproduction, and visual effects. The film’s preliminary shooting began on August 15, 2017 in Manhattan Beach, California, and main photography began on September 25, 2017 in New Zealand, concurrently with Avatar 3.
The film’s theatrical release has been delayed eight times, the most recent on July 23, 2020; it is now scheduled to be released on December 16, 2022, with the three sequels following on December 20, 2024, December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028, respectively.
Avatar demonstrated the incredible potential of the technology by creating a feature-length picture with plenty of mo-cap to go around, resulting in its widespread application throughout the previous decade. Avatar also paved the way for 3D filmmaking, boosting the popularity of 3D and IMAX experiences.
Avatar remains the No. 1 film of all time worldwide after earning $2.84 billion throughout the course of its lifetime. For a brief period, it was passed up by Avengers: Endgame until it was rereleased in China in March of 2021.
Cast:
Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, Sigourney Weaver as Grace Augustine, Stephen Lang as Colonel Quaritch, Kate Winslet as Ronal, Cliff Curtis as Tonowari
The first trailer of Avatar 2.
Will there be Avatar 3?
Seven years later, Cameron has started filming! Fox says the first Avatar sequel will be released December 18, 2020. Avatar 3 comes a year later, and the last two are due December 2024 and 2025.