Beyond Fest 2023 takes place September 26th – October 10th.
Now entering its 11th year, the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, Beyond Fest is back and bigger than ever.
The event, which has brought first looks at new movies and more to fans for years, is back this month, comprising 55 features, including 5 world premieres, 3 North American Premieres, 7 US premieres, and 18 West Coast Premieres.
When and where is Beyond Fest 2023 happening?
(Left) Nicolas Cage in ‘Dream Scenario.’ Courtesy of A24.
This year’s event runs between September 26th – October 10th.
In partnership with the American Cinematheque and presented exclusively by distributor NEON, Beyond Fest will screen at the Aero Theatre, Los Feliz 3 and Regency Village Theatre.
Here’s what Head of Programming Evrim Ersoy has to say about this year’s fest:
“With over 19,000 attendees in 2022, our goal this year was to go bigger while also exposing audiences to new filmmakers who represent the future. We’ve delivered on that promise with a program that has the world’s most celebrated artists like James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, and Roger Corman joining us alongside some of Cinema’s boldest new voices including Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, Demián Rugna and Macon Blair.”
Among the offerings at this year’s event are Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi epic ‘The Creator’, which is the opening night movie at the Aero, while Kristoffer Borgli’s comedy-satire sensation, ‘Dream Scenario’, featuring Nicolas Cage, will close things out.
We can also expect to see Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ and Kitty Green’s slow-burn outback thriller ‘The Royal Hotel’.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in James Cameron’s ‘The Abyss.’ Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Talking of icebergs, James Cameron will also be in attendance: not bringing ‘Titanic’, but instead to introduce and then discuss the Special Edition of 1989’s ‘The Abyss’. You’d think the man would be too busy working on his ‘Avatar’ sequels, but Beyond Fest has him!
Guillermo del Toro will be there to mark 10 years of his robots-vs-giant-monsters pic ‘Pacific Rim’, and maintaining the theme, director Brad Bird will bring his much-loved animation classic ‘The Iron Giant’.
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Elsewhere, there will be a chance to see the remake of Troma classic ‘The Toxic Avenger’ starring Peter Dinklage as the mutated, mop-wielding hero, and so much more.
Peter Dinklage in ‘The Toxic Avenger.’ Credit: Legendary Pictures.
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How can I get tickets for the 2023 Beyond Fest?
A scene from ‘All of Us Strangers.’ Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ launches the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of traveling to Manhattan Beach, California to the offices of Lightstorm Entertainment to speak with producer Jon Landau about the digital release of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ along with several other members of the press.
We had a chance to look through the Lightstorm Entertainment Museum, as well as watch bonus material from the digital release. We also spoke to Jon Landau about the film and the future of the franchise, and watched a camera demo presentation from recent Oscar Award winner Richard Baneham.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ statues at the Lightstorm Entertainment Museum.
Lightstorm Entertainment Museum and VFX Tour
Our visit began with a tour of Lightstorm’s museum, which in addition to housing props and visual reference pieces from the ‘Avatar’ series, but it also included memorabilia from ‘Aliens,‘ ‘Alita: Battle Angel,’ ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day,’ and ‘Titanic.’
Alien Queen from James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’ at the Lightstorm Entertainment Museum.
Some of the pieces that stood out include a T-100 from ‘T2,’ the Queen and Ripley’s exosuit from ‘Aliens,’ a replica of the ship from ‘Titanic,’ as well as ‘The Heart of the Ocean’ necklace worn by Kate Winslet, and Jon Landau’s Oscar for Best Picture from ‘Titanic.’
“The Heart of the Ocean” from James Cameron’s ‘Titanic’ at the Lightstorm Entertainment Museum.
Before speaking with Jon Landau, we had a chance to experience a camera demo presentation from recent Oscar winner Richard Baneham, who explained how the underwater scenes were shot for the movie.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’s Oscar winning visual effects supervisor Richard Baneham.
What are the Bonus Features on the Digital Release of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water?’
Next, we had a chance to screen some of the bonus material from the digital release. The bonus features will be included in a section called ‘Inside Pandora’s Box,’ and will include a series of featurettes on the challenges facing cast and crew as filmmakers devise new technologies to push the limits of cinema with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
You can read about the different featurettes below:
Building the World of Pandora– James Cameron and a team of talented artists combine years of research with their design skills to build the world of Pandora with new characters, creatures, indigenous clans, underwater environments and the take-no-prisoners hard-tech world of the RDA.
Capturing Pandora– James Cameron’s approach to performance capture has the cast performing in a volume rigged with infrared cameras to capture their movement, and head rig cameras to capture emotion on their faces with only the boundaries of imagination to limit them.
The Undersea World of Pandora– Co-production designer Dylan Cole and his team conceive of the marine creatures required for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ while James Cameron and his stunt team devise extraordinary means to bring those creatures to life in a performance capture tank.
The Challenges of Pandora’s Waters– James Cameron tackles the “non-trivial challenge” of performance capture above and below the water’s surface, utilizing a wave machine and current generator to reproduce ocean conditions, and underwater vehicles to replicate creature movement.
Pandora’s Returning Characters– James Cameron reunites with his returning cast – Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. Together they discuss the amazing evolution of their characters in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
Pandora’s Next Generation– Meet the talented young newcomers who have been cast as the next generation of Na’vi and follow them through the adventure of making ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
Spider’s Web– James Cameron introduced the human character of Spider into the fabric of Pandora – thus creating a host of technological challenges on set…and an incredible journey for the young actor, Jack Champion.
Becoming Na’vi– The ‘Avatar’ cast is immersed in the culture of the indigenous Na’vi, living off the land in the Hawaiian rainforest and training in a multitude of disciplines in preparation for their roles.
The Reef People of Pandora– In true James Cameron-style, the Metkayina reef clan has been developed with great attention to detail, bearing unique evolutionary traits and a culture – with new dwellings, new clothes and different way of life – all a result of living off the ocean.
Bringing Pandora to Life– Once James Cameron completes his virtual production process, every sequence is turned over to Wētā FX to bring Pandora to life – with unprecedented advancements in facial performance, environments and making CG water look real.
The RDA Returns to Pandora– Co-production designer Ben Procter and his team present an armada of new vehicles and human technologies that the RDA brings to Pandora – in concept design and with practical builds.
The New Characters of Pandora– Meet the important new characters of the ‘Avatar’ saga played by Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell and Jemaine Clement.
The Sounds of Pandora– Hear how James Cameron worked with composer Simon Franglen to create the distinctive music of ‘The Way of Water’ while building on James Horner’s brilliant score for ‘Avatar,’ and learn how Chris Boyes created the immersive sounds of Pandora.
New Zealand – Pandora’s Home– The production of the ‘Avatar’ sequels is so thoroughly ensconced in New Zealand that James Cameron considers The Way of Water a “New Zealand film.” Hear reflections from the cast and crew, including the remarkable New Zealand crew, on making the film.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’s Oscar winning producer Jon Landau.
Jon Landau Q&A
Finally, we had a chance to speak with Oscar winning producer Jon Landau, along with other members of the press, about ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ working with James Cameron and the future of the franchise.
Can you talk about your experience working with James Cameron over the years, and particularly with ‘Avatar: The Way of Water?’
Jon Landau: I think that I got to know Jim as a studio executive. I was the suit when he was doing ‘True Lies.’ But my objective was always the same as his objective, make the best movie. I didn’t come at it with a different agenda. That’s how I think we look at it. I think that what has developed over the 30 years, and Jim calls it a marriage that we’ve had, is we divide and conquer. I think there are certain things that I can’t do. Jim’s an engineer and I’m not. I don’t profess to be. But there are things as it relates to Wētā and problem solving that Jim would allow me to go tackle and take something much further down the line for him. We even created what we called FLFs, First Look Finals, which Jim was amazed at when that started to happen, where we would present something to him and he was able to sign off on it because we solved some of these other problems. So I think one of the keys is communicating. I think one of the keys is identifying when you have a problem, because sometimes you don’t recognize that. On the first film, there was a day we were doing performance capture and we did something and we stopped to name it. Because if we ever wanted to do it again, we needed to be able to refer to it. We couldn’t go, “Oh, that thing we did 12 weeks ago.” So we named something. So it’s taking that time and saying, “Okay, let’s stop for a minute and solve this.”
Can you talk about the scheduling process on a movie like this?
JL: So the scheduling, it’s really interesting. The first thing we had to figure out because we were not just filming ‘Avatar 2,’ we were actually filming and capturing for ‘2,’ ‘3,’ and the first act of movie ‘4.’ So, how do you do that? What are the things you do? The first thing we did, if you ever have seen a script, the scene numbers usually start at one and they end whatever number the scene is. I came up with the idea that our scene numbers for this movie would start at 2,001. The two at the beginning of 2,000 would tell us it’s movie ‘2.’ If you look at a script for movie ‘3,’ it’s 3,001. That way we would know, “Okay, what scene?” Because you couldn’t say, “We’re working on scene 56.” Of what movie? So we had to do that. Then we had to say, “Okay, let’s figure out what needs to be shot in what order.” We quickly realized that we needed to do performance capture before we could do live-action because it impacted the live-action filming. If we knew what the CG character was supposed to do, we would then line it up and do that. So we started out with the scheduling of the performance capture. There, we had a lot of flexibility because we weren’t limited to saying, “You’re on a set.” Because our sets are just these gray scale pieces and they could be very easy to reconstitute and the lighting went into it. So we tried to do that in two different waves. One is non-wet work, because our tank wasn’t built yet, and we tried to do that in as much continuity order for the cast as we could. Then we dove literally and figuratively into the tank work. Then we did some more capture work. When we went to do the live-action, we then treated it more like a traditional movie and said, “Okay, if we are in this set that’s the screening room, let’s shoot out every scene, whether it’s in movie ‘2,’ ‘3’ or that first part of ‘4,’ and knock that off right at the beginning.” So we did it logistically that way when we went down to New Zealand for our live-action filming.
(L to R) Jack Champion and Stephen Lang in director James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
As a producer, how do you budget a project as large as this?
JL: Look, I think you learn to budget based on experience. We sit there and we know there’s uncertainty. So we sit there and say, “Here’s what we know. We’re going to put a fudge factor on top of it.” Look, when we went and did ‘Titanic,’ and this was a big learning lesson for us on ‘Titanic,’ there was a time where in pre-production we were under a lot of pressure not to spend money and we didn’t spend money on engineering the ship being raised and then tilted. We put it in a ballpark number. We were way off. So one of the things we now really try to do as we budget is bring in people early on and put in money in our early development budget and say, “Okay, we need an engineer.” Perfect example. On ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ we brought in engineers to design our tank before we signed off on a budget. We didn’t build the tank, we didn’t buy the steel, but it was engineered and it put us on a much sounder ground. So I think it’s about going and doing your homework and recognizing that you don’t have all the answers and not to be overly optimistic and say, “Here’s what we think it’s going to be.” When you look at our movies, these movies are challenging and they’re big in scale and scope and we acknowledge that upfront.
Can you talk about the future of the franchise?
JL: So we have ‘3,’ ‘4,’ and ‘5’ written right now. We didn’t set out to make a sequel. We set out to make a movie that happened to be based on a world and characters that were created, almost like you look at the first ‘Avatar’ as if it was a novel. We’re now doing something that was inspired by that. In these three more scripts we have, we believe that each movie is a standalone film that comes to its own story resolution, its own emotional conclusion. I don’t think people need to have seen the first ‘Avatar’ to enjoy ‘Way of Water.’ That’s how we want each one of these movies to be. Now, I believe that Pandora and these characters and people that we will continue to meet have many other stories to tell. From a new cast standpoint, each movie we’ll introduce new biomes and new cultures. Because we’re introducing new cultures, we have new characters. But just because we are introducing a new one doesn’t mean we’ve lost an old one. They will stay with us. So the sea people, they’ll have different roles, the Metkayina, will be in and out of these stories, but they are a part of the canon that we’ve created. But we’re going to meet at least two new clans in the next movie, culturally, and go on and on as we continue that.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ will be available exclusively to purchase on Digital March 28th.
Have you already shot ‘Avatar 4?’
JL: The first act. Because truth be told, there’s a time cut after the end of the first act and we needed to get all the kids before they got older and shoot all that out. We still have roles to cast in ‘4’ and ‘5,’ in the latter part.
You’ve said that you learn on each movie how to make the next one better, what did you learn from making ‘The Way of Water’ that you will apply to the next project?
JL: The visual effects side of things is never revolutionary, it’s evolutionary. Something that we are doing tomorrow is going to be better than if we’re doing it today because we’re learning more. Wētā FX is learning more. ILM, who we work with, is learning more. So we will continue to push and to strive to create an even higher product. One of the things that people say is, “What type of people do you want to hire?” I go back to people who don’t want to rest on the laurels of their past. People who are not afraid to push the boundaries. When you do that, people have to be prepared to fail. Because when you’ve gone down a path that’s never been traveled, failure needs to be an option and we need a system that’s going to support them.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ will be available exclusively to purchase on Digital March 28th.
Other Films By James Cameron and Lightstorm Entertainment:
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ will be available exclusively to purchase on Digital March 28th from Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Studios.
Directed by James Cameron, and written by Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, the film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet.
Watch Moviefone’s interviews with James Cameron and the cast of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ below:
13 years after the first film’s release, Academy Award-winning director James Cameron takes the audience back to the world of Pandora and introduces a new tribe of Na’vi. The film sees the return of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Stephen Lang.
Despite the long wait for its sequel, ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ was already smashing records on opening weekend. Soaring past Marvel’s ‘The Avengers‘ in domestic box office rankings, raking in $625.6 million. Needless to say, the 13 years gap between the first and second movies did not dampen the fans’ excitement for this film.
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Just like the 2009 film, this installment also utilizes 3D. With updated technology, ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ is visually stunning, and looks even more vibrant and lifelike than its predecessor. Filming begin in 2017 and took over the course of 3 years, mainly due to the director wanting to film ‘Avatar 2’ and ‘3′ at the same time. The majority of ‘The Way Of Water’ took place underwater, requiring the cast and stunt team to film inside a 900,000-gallon tank.
Filming underwater made it difficult for the motion capture process because scuba gear often got in the way. So the actors received special training on how to hold their breath for an extended amount of time. Kate Winslet held her breath for an astonishing 7 minutes.
Cameron has plans for three more ‘Avatar‘ films. The third installment is set to release in 2024 with ‘Avatar 4‘ and ‘5‘ scheduled for a 2026 and 2028 release.
The official synopsis for ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ is thus:
“Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na’vi race to protect their home.”
It’s been over a decade since the events of the previous film, Jake and Neytiri have started a family – the eldest son Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), the second son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), and the youngest daughter Tuk (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss). On top of the three children, they also have an adoptive daughter in Kiri (Sigourney Weaver). The family lived in peace until the Sky People returned to Pandora causing destruction and chaos. The family is uprooted, and forced to seek safety and shelter within the oceans of Pandora and the Metkayina tribe.
The sci-fi fantasy/adventure also sees Cliff Curtis as Metkayina Chief Tonowari and Kate Winslet (who reunites with the ‘Titanic‘ director after 26 years) as Ronal. The newly introduced tribe of Na’vi looks different than Neytiri and Jake, as they have larger and stronger tails built for swimming. We’re also introduced to many new creatures such as the tulkun, skimwing, and ilu.
Stephen Lang who played antagonist Colonel Miles Quaritch in the first film is back for the sequel as a different character (sort of).
You can still enjoy the movie on the big screening at your local theaters. The movie is available in various formats but it is an absolute treat to watch it in 3D if it’s available to you. Another great way to enjoy ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ is in IMAX, which will make you feel like you’re fully immersed in the world of Pandora.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ was released on December 16th, 2022, and has a total runtime of 3 hours and 12 minutes.
When Will ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Be Available To Stream Online?
‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ is currently only in theaters, but it will surely make its way to streaming services in the future. As this is a 20th Century Studio film it will definitely be available on Disney+ once it is released for streaming. Currently, you can watch the original film on Disney+.
The visionary director has had many of his films break box office records. The first ‘Avatar’ film opened to $77 million domestically on opening weekend in 2009. Now, it has grossed $749.7 million domestically and $2.7 billion worldwide. ‘The Way of Water’ opened to $134.1 million domestically and has grossed $625.6 since. It is currently the fourth-highest-grossing film worldwide of all time, has surpassed Marvel Studio’s ‘The Avengers’ ($1.5 billion worldwide), and is closing in on ‘Titanic’, another James Cameron film.
On top of the film’s success at the box office, the franchise giant is also popular amongst theme park goers. You can find The World Of Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. There are two attractions based inside the Avatar-inspired land – “Flight of Passage” and “Na’vi River Journey.” In “Flight of the Passage,” guests can fly on the back of a mountain banshee over Pandora, complete with 3D, of course. “The Na’vi River Journey” takes riders on an immersive river ride, exploring the caves, bioluminescent rainforest, and an extremely life-like audio-animatronic.
Director James Cameron for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
Other Films By James Cameron
The three-time Academy Award-winning director may very well be adding another golden statue to his mantle. ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ has received four Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Sound, Best Production Design, and Best Visual Effects.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ was released in theaters on December 16th, 2022 from Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Studios. Directed by James Cameron, and written by Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, the film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, and Kate Winslet.
Watch Moviefone’s interviews with James Cameron and the cast of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ below:
Rumored titles and release dates for director James Cameron’s upcoming ‘Avatar’ sequels.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is sailing to success at the box office. On Wednesday, the film stood at domestic haul of $337.8 million and an International total of $762.8 million, and by the end of Thursday, it will have earned more than $1.1 billion, making it the second biggest hit of 2022, after ‘Top Gun: Maverick’.
With the other movies in James Cameron’s sci-fi franchise all at different stages of production, the future of the ‘Avatar’ universe seems assured, at least for the next decade or so.
Which means it must be time for the rumored titles of the movies, which surfaced way back in 2019 during the ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ (which Cameron co-wrote and produced) press tour.
Given the developments in ‘The Way of Water’, including that the Earth is worse off even than when it was portrayed in the 2009 original movie and revelations about teenage character Kiri’s (Sigourney Weaver) connections to mystical, powerful tree Eywa, it’s perhaps telling that ‘Seed Bearer’ and the tree’s name itself feature in potential future titles. The Tulkun, meanwhile, are the whale-like creatures from ‘The Way of Water’.
Sigourney Weaver plays Jake and Neytiri’s adopted teenage Na’vi daughter In ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ Photo courtesy of Empire Magazine.
We’ll have to wait and see whether the names change completely or shift slightly closer to each movie’s release. Whether it ends up titled ‘The Seed Bearer’ or something else, the third Avatar movie will be in theaters on December 20th, 2024.
Further forward we’ve learned a tiny nugget about the fifth film from producer Jon Landau. “I wasn’t going to talk about it, but I’ve now subsequently heard that Jim has talked about it a little bit,” Landau told IGN. In movie five there is a section of the story where we go to Earth. And we go to it to open people’s eyes, open Neytiri’s eyes, to what exists on Earth.”
It’s worth a mention that in the same interview, Landau shot down the other titles. “We have decided on titles, but I would not go by those other three titles that were out there,” he said. “You know, if you roll the dice one in six times, you’ll pick the right number.”
To turn attention back for a moment to where we currently stand, ‘The Way of Water’, and co-writer/director Cameron has been talking about what didn’t make the final cut in the latest film. Turns out it was some of the violence in the movie.
“I actually cut about 10 minutes of the movie targeting gunplay action,” Cameron told Esquire Middle East. “I wanted to get rid of some of the ugliness, to find a balance between light and dark. You have to have conflict, of course. Violence and action are the same thing, depending on how you look at it. This is the dilemma of every action filmmaker, and I’m known as an action filmmaker.”
It is certainly a surprising sentiment coming from a man whose movie characters have mown down many in their time, but he has certainly switch perspective in the intervening years. “I look back on some films that I’ve made, and I don’t know if I would want to make that film now. I don’t know if I would want to fetishize the gun, like I did on a couple of ‘Terminator’ movies 30-plus years ago, in our current world. What’s happening with guns in our society turns my stomach.” Hasta la vista, weapons.
Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.
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(L to R) Edward Furlong as John Connor and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator in director James Cameron’s ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day.’
James Cameron is going to be spending most of his future filmmaking time on Pandora, or at least virtually, making the various sequels to ‘Avatar’ and its new follow-up, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, which has recently hit theaters.
But he still has his mind on other franchises that he’s launched or helped along in the years past, including ‘Alita: Battle Angel’. And, if anyone else really wants to touch the subject after the abject failure of ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’, another movie set in the world of Skynet and dangerous technology.
“If I were to do another ‘Terminator’ film and maybe try to launch that franchise again, which is in discussion, but nothing has been decided, I would make it much more about the AI side of it than bad robots gone crazy,” Cameron told the hosts.
And he’s also recently been candid about the fate––pun intended––of ‘Dark Fate’, admitting that it had its own issues.
Linda Hamilton in ‘Terminator: Dark Fate.’
The movie, directed by ‘Deadpool’s Tim Miller and for which Cameron helped crank out the story and worked as producer, was not a big success at the box office, though the filmmaker seems happy that it got made at all.
“I think, I’m actually reasonably happy with the film. Tim and I had our battles and we’ve both spoken about that, but the crazy thing is we’re still pals. Which is weird. I liked him before the movie, didn’t like him very much during the movie, and I like him now, and I think he feels the same way,” Cameron told Deadline.
And he’s also open as to why it didn’t work completely. “I think the problem, and I’m going to wear this one, is that I refused to do it without Arnold. Tim didn’t want Arnold, but I said, “Look, I don’t want that. Arnold and I have been friends for 40 years, and I could hear it, and it would go like this: ‘Jim, I can’t believe you’re making a Terminator movie without me.’ ” Cameron laughs. “It just didn’t mean that much to me to do it, but I said, ‘If you guys could see your way clear to bringing Arnold back and then, you know, I’d be happy to be involved.’ ”
But it snowballed from there, according to Cameron… “And then Tim wanted Linda (Hamilton). I think what happened is I think the movie could have survived having Linda in it, I think it could have survived having Arnold in it, but when you put Linda and Arnold in it and then, you know, she’s 60-something, he’s 70-something, all of a sudden it wasn’t your ‘Terminator’ movie, it wasn’t even your dad’s ‘Terminator’ movie, it was your granddad’s ‘Terminator’ movie,” he admits. “And we didn’t see that. We loved it, we thought it was cool, you know, that we were making this sort of direct sequel to a movie that came out in 1991. And young moviegoing audiences weren’t born. They wouldn’t even have been born for another 10 years.”
Director James Cameron for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, meanwhile, is doing a little bit better at the box office, though perhaps not with an opening (here in the States at least) as big as it might have been––or that it needs to really earn its expansive budget back.
‘The Way of Water’ opened with $134 million after its first weekend, certainly impressive (in an era of fewer movies seeing big numbers), but below Disney’s expectations. And below Cameron’s own real hopes. The director himself had said before its launch that the movie would “have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history” to break even, and this is certainly not that.
Still, as has been said many times before, no one should count out James Cameron. The movie has still enjoyed the sixth best opening ever for December, the month’s best non-MCU and non- ‘Star Wars’ opening, was 74% ahead of the first ‘Avatar’ ($77 million) and 5.5% ahead of this year’s own box office champ, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ ($127 million).
Internationally the film opened to $301 million, bringing the global weekend total to $435 million. It’s the second biggest global start of the year, right at the tail of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ $442 million global bow.
And it has been swamping cinema takings in places such as the UK, where it debuted at No. 1 with a gargantuan £11.1 million ($13.5 million). In fairness, no other studio dared open a big release against it, and the film faces little major competition in the coming couple of weeks, so it could well hold on and keep earning big bucks, especially if good word of mouth works in its favor.
Reviews for the movie across the spectrum from outright pans to raves, somewhat in keeping with the original movie, which, let’s not forget, went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, until it was unseated by ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and managed to reclaim the title thanks to re-releases.
Cameron’s latest effectively has the holiday period to itself, at least in terms of major, all-audience releases, so there’s plenty of opportunity ahead for it to scoop up cash like a Pandoran Nalutsa glides through the ocean, hovering up plants and small animals.
With big spectacle and a desire for audiences to see its distinctive, technologically advanced visuals in theaters, expect ‘The Way of Water’ to stay afloat for a while yet. And even if it doesn’t live up to the 2009 movie’s Biggest Movie Ever, it’s far from a flop. Cameron has said he’d let market forces decide if the ‘Avatar’ universe would continue; the fact that he’s still at work on a third (and the others) suggests that his latest effort is being rewarded.
Whatever it ends up titled, the third ‘Avatar’ outing is scheduled for release on December 20th, 2024.
Arriving in theaters on December 16th, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ represents James Cameron attempting the same high wire trick he pulled with the 2009 original, with the added pressure of 13 years between releases.
But as the old maxim in Hollywood goes, it’s best not to bet against Jim Cameron! This is a man who was told that his film about a troubled, true-life ship would sink without trace. That he couldn’t come up with a solid sequel to a movie about a killer cyborg. And, most tellingly, that no one could turn 3D from a gimmick to a worthwhile format, especially not with a movie about some blue creatures whose storyline seemed to be an expensive, live-action remake of ‘FernGully: The Last Rainforest’.
It’s safe to say that, while the original may not have left the same lasting cultural crater as it did on the box office (it took until ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ to truly dethrone it, and a recent re-release has seen Cameron claim the crown back again), ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ looks set to go over just as well.
The story picks up more than a decade after the events of the original film (for those who somehow find themselves in a theater watching the new movie without having seen that, there is a helpful exposition dump from Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) himself.
Jake, see, was a paraplegic human brought to the moon of Pandora to replace his late brother, a marine who was part a mission to subdue the local populace, known as Na’vi, so humanity could continue strip-mining the place. Your basic colonialist narrative with the added wrinkle of “Avatars”, lab-grown versions of the Na’vi to which a human consciousness can be connected – one of which had been earmarked for Jake’s sibling.
Instead, Jake encountered the Na’Vi, met warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) fell in love and fought back against the human forces, led on the military front by Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a burly, blustering marine who sees it has his job to take down the Na’vi.
‘The Way of Water’ fills in some of the gaps between movies––Jake and Neytiri have a family, including three kids of their own (Jamie Flatters as eldest son Neteyam, Britain Dalton as Lo’ak, second-born son and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as Tuktirey/“Tuk”, their eight-year-old daughter) plus adoptive teenage daughter Kiri, played by Sigourney Weaver. And yes, she has a connection to Weaver’s character Dr. Grace Augustine from the first movie that we won’t specify here.
Sigourney Weaver plays Jake and Neytiri’s adopted teenage Na’vi daughter In ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ Photo courtesy of Empire Magazine.
Though the family and their tribe have lived peacefully in the intervening years, humanity––and Quaritch, who was killed by Neytiri at the end of the first movie––are back to finish the job. Soon, Jake and his brood are running for their lives, ending up with the Metkayina clan (led by Cliff Curtis’ Tonowari and Kate Winslet’s Ronal), who live and thrive around and in Pandora’s voluminous oceans.
As for the film itself, it shares both the many strengths and some crucial weaknesses of the original.
On the positive side of things, this shoves the “spectacle” right back into “spectacular”––Cameron and his technological and creative team have pushed the boundaries of what’s possible once again, realizing truly dazzling visuals that will absolutely be held up as groundbreaking and state of the art.
Cameron has plenty of experience of his own in the water, and he brings all of it to making the oceanic scenes look as real as possible. It’s clear that team ‘Avatar’ didn’t spend all this time sitting on their laurels––mammoth amounts of research and development have gone into making the Na’vi look even more lifelike this time (and figuring out clever ways the Metkayina would differ from Jake and Neytiri’s tribe, such as their more powerful tails, which aid in swimming).
The world around them is brimming with fresh creatures, which are just as incredible as the forest-dwellers from the first run-around. And when the humans arrive to cause problems, they do so in machinery that looks chunky, real-world and immaculately designed.
3D hasn’t really been much of a thing these past few years, but ‘The Way of Water’ uses it in such a way as to draw you right back in. And while the high frame rate still has some issues at moments, this is lightyears ahead of the likes of ‘The Hobbit’.
Yet we did mention the weaknesses, and this first sequel (Cameron currently plans three more) carries them over too. Primarily it’s in the storyline, and despite the director assembling a writers room to help crank out an overarching story and four distinct outings, the characters and plot remain lacking.
With a script for this one credited to Cameron, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (who were part of the ‘Avatar’ sequel creative quorum and also wrote on the likes of ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’), you might have hoped for more polish. Instead what we’re offered are a second helping of basic tropes, easily foreseeable plot turns and embarrassingly base-level initial squabbling between the kids from the tribes before they learn to put aside their differences.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ opens in theaters on December 16th. Photo courtesy of the movie’s Twitter account.
Lang, though he immerses himself in the role despite being big and blue this time, is still saddled with cheesy dialogue and first-draft motivations.
And while the likes of Weaver and the rest of the Sully-Neytiri clan are the focus here, spare a thought for poor Saldana who, aside from some heroic third-act moments, is mostly called upon to worry.
And while the visuals are near-flawless, you could be forgiven, at times when humans are sharing the screen with Na’vi, for thinking that you’re watching the movie that plays before a theme park ride. Then there’s several character and action moments that feel like the director making a greatest hits album––the chatty marines and sturdy tech of ‘Aliens’, the parental worries of ‘Terminator 2’ and the watery finale of ‘Titanic’ all sharing space here.
Those quibbles aside, if you give yourself over to the action, the lavish (virtual) locales and the rush of emotions that Cameron is looking to generate, and is mostly successful in doing so, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ will give you reason to celebrate returning to Pandora.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ receives 4 out of 5 stars.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ opens in theaters on December 16th. Photo courtesy of the movie’s Twitter account.
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Once again written and directed by groundbreaking filmmaker James Cameron, the new film picks up more than a decade after the original and sees Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family escaping from the return of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), and looking for refuge with the reef people clan of Metkayina, a water-dwelling species on Pandora.
In addition to Worthington and Lang, the film also welcomes back Zoe Saldana as Neytiri, CCH Pounder as Mo’at, and Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, as well as Sigourney Weaver as new character Kiri, who is the daughter of Dr. Grace Augustine’s avatar.
Joining the cast are Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore, Jermaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin, Cliff Curtis as Tonowari the leader of the Metkayina, and reuniting with Cameron for the first time since ‘Titanic,’ Kate Winslet as Tonowari’s wife, Ronal.
Also joining the cast for the sequel are Jamie Flatters and Britain Dalton as Jake and Neytiri’s sons, Neteyam and Lo’ak, respectively. Trinity Bliss plays Jake and Neytiri’s daughter Tuk, while Bailey Bass and Filip Geljo play Tonowari and Ronal’s children, Reya and Aonung, respectively. Finally, Jack Champion joins the cast as Spider, the long lost son of Miles Quaritch.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of traveling to London to sit down in-person with Oscar-winning director James Cameron and Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet to talk about the work on ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
The filmmaker discussed the sequel, the challenges of making it, how the technology has changed since the original, and his plans for more sequels, while Winslet talked about reuniting with Cameron, joining the sequel, and learning to hold her breathe.
Kate Winslet stars in director James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Cameron, Winslet, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Jack Champion, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jamie Flatters, and Bailey Bass.
MF: To begin with, Kate, what was it like for you to reunite with James Cameron for the first time since ‘Titanic’ on ‘Avatar: The Way of Water?’
Kate Winslet: Yeah, very long time ago. Yeah, it’s 26 years ago. It was amazing and absolutely incredible. The script was always going to be phenomenal because it’s ‘Avatar.’ Again, for Jim, it’s a world he created. He writes for women in a way that is extraordinary.
He always creates strong, not just female characters, but female leaders, women who are powerful mothers who lead with integrity. So, I just appreciated being asked. I was excited to jump in. I absolutely loved every minute of it. It was a wonderful experience.
MF: Director James Cameron has said that he knew he wanted to do a sequel to ‘Avatar’ pretty quickly after finishing the original. When did he ask you to be involved in the sequel?
KW: It was I guess quite a long time. He first mentioned something to me almost in passing back in 2014 or 2015. I guess it was around that time. I had seen him for an event in LA and he said, “Oh, we have to get you big and blue sometime.” I said, “Oh yeah, I’d love that.” The seed was sown.
Then in late 2017 was when he actually called and said, “I really do want to send you this script.” He described Ronal to me as being a female warrior goddess, and leader of a clan. I just thought, my God, if it really is that, this could be extraordinary.
I read the script and loved it, and was particularly taken by not only the elements of family and motherhood, but also this added physical challenge of learning how to free dive and breath hold, which I was just so excited by and not remotely daunted by. I had no fear around the idea of any of that. I just loved learning something new in my 40s.
It’s so funny, when you are young, you think you’ve learned all of the new things that you could learn, and as an adult, we close our minds off to the possibility of learning something new. So, to be in a situation that provided this wonderful opportunity for me was just amazing.
MF: I understand that you broke a record on set because you were able to hold your breath for seven minutes and 12 seconds, is that correct?
KW: Seven minutes and 14 seconds. You have to oxygenate your body, and there’s a whole breathing sequence that you do, and it’s quite a considerable process. It’s not to be tried at home and you cannot do it by yourself. Actually, that’s a very important safety thing.
You really mustn’t do it alone because what happens is when people surface from having held their breath, there’s a particular breathing sequence that you need to do the minute you hit the surface. If you don’t do that, you could be in danger of blacking out, and that’s when people run into trouble. That was the thing I learned, first of all, which we all did, was the safety. Once you know what you’re doing, it certainly makes things a lot easier.
I just loved the whole process. It was amazing. Yeah, seven minutes, 14 seconds. I was incredibly proud of myself and really determined that I was going to do it, I was going to do a big breath hold that day. I had my heart set on it. I even said to my husband, “Don’t come to work today to watch because I just don’t want the pressure of you being there.”
But actually, he was there. He snuck in and he actually videoed the last part of my breath hold. We got it on camera, me surfacing and going, “Am I dead? What happened?” Straight away, I’m like, “How long was that?” It’s pretty cool!
Director James Cameron for ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
Moviefone: Mr. Cameron, can you talk about the performance capture suits you used for this film, and have they changed at all from the ones you used on the original?
James Cameron: The suits were the same. We improved the head rigs a bit. I mean, we improved everything. It was all a prototype when we did it on ‘Avatar.’ We didn’t know it was going to work and then we found out it worked pretty well, so then we improved it all. But the process is the same. It’s just there’s no real camera, there’s no set. It’s just a pure interaction between the actors. They love it and I love it.
I don’t have to get distracted by the lighting and the camera work, and the Dolly track and the steady cam stuff. I can just work directly with the actors. I had returning cast, obviously, Sigourney, Sam and Zoe, but I also had this whole new cast with these kids, these newcomers. It was just a joy to go to work every day. Not a joy necessarily always during the day when you’re solving problems and that sort of thing. But we really enjoyed it.
MF: The look of the sequel is incredible and is even more spectacular than the original. Looking forward to ‘Avatar 3,’ ‘Avatar 4,’ and even possibly ‘Avatar 5,’ with technology constantly improving, what do you expect those film’s will look like in the future?
JC: I think over time we’ll shift from the novelty value of being in the world. We can assume that. You walk in, you sit down, you can assume it’ll be immersive because that’s our baseline. It’s really about, how much do I care about these characters, and where’s this story taking me? Where’s this journey taking me?
I mean, we’re always going to try to bring in wonders, awesome moments, amazing vistas and all that sort of thing, but we’re also shifting our focus to the story of the characters and the emotion, which I think is healthy. Because it shouldn’t just be about pretty pictures. The immersive stuff, we know how to do that so they’ll all be like that.
MF: Were you already planning for this sequel when you made the original?
JC: Not really. No. The only thing was that when the studio wanted to take out the scene where Grace (Sigourney Weaver) dies and I said, “You can’t take that out. We need that scene. It’s very important. It’s very important for the sequel.” I hadn’t even written the story yet, but I knew that there was a connection there.
They wanted to take it out and ultimately it just turned into a big headbutting contest, and I won. So, it’s in (the original), therefore we have this movie, at least the Kiri character, comes out of that part of the story.
MF: Are there scenes in ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ that you kept in because you needed them for the next three installments?
JC: Oh yeah. Like I said, it’s all written out so we know exactly.
MF: Finally, have you already shot everything you need for ‘Avatar 3?’
JC: ‘Avatar 3’s done. I mean, the movie’s not done, but the capture, all the work with the actors is done. So, dramatically it’s all set in stone. We have to go through the process of making it look real and immersive, and all that sort of thing. That’ll take a couple years.
Then part of ‘Avatar 4’ is not done, but the script is done, and part of ‘Avatar 4’ has been shot. Because we had to finish with these kids because they’re not going to be kids. In fact, they’re not kids now.
Jack’s 6 ft 8″ or whatever. He was 12 when I cast him. Trinity Bliss, she’s such a sweet girl. She was seven when I cast her, and she’s now 13 and about two feet taller. So, we had to bottle that lightning while we had it through the first part of movie 4. And then there’s a big time jump, and then we see all the characters six years later.
So, then everybody will be the right age for the continuation of the story. I didn’t want to get caught in that ‘Stranger Things’ thing where they’re still in high school but they look 25. I like ‘Stranger Things,’ don’t get me wrong. It’s fine and I go with it that they’re still teenagers.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ opens in theaters on December 16th. Photo courtesy of the movie’s Twitter account.
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The movie stars Marc Senter (‘Starry Eyes’) as a hiker who while lost stumbles across a cabin in the woods. Inside, he meets an erratic old man (Stephen Lang) who brings him into his own personal nightmare.
But he is probably best known for his role as Colonel Miles Quaritch in director James Cameron’s ‘Avatar,’ a role he will soon be reprising in the upcoming ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ opening in theaters on December 16th.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Stephen Lang about his work on ‘Old Man,’ his first reaction to the screenplay, his unique character, his acting process, working with Marc Senter, reuniting with James Cameron for the upcoming ‘Avatar’ sequel and reprising his role for ‘Avatar: The Way of the Water.’
Stephen Lang stars in ‘Old Man,’ which was directed by Lucky McKee.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Stephen Lang.
Moviefone: To begin with, how did you got involved with this project and what was your first reaction when you read the screenplay?
Stephen Lang: I was sent the script and I think Lucky (McKee) wrote me a nice letter and so I thought I’d give it a shot. I sat there and read a couple pages, decided to read a couple more pages, then a few more pages. Then finally I decided to read the whole thing to find out what the hell was going on because I was having a hard time making heads or tails of it. But by the time I was done, I still didn’t know what it was about, but I knew it was interesting and I knew it was challenging.
MF: What was your approach to playing the character and what were some of the themes that you excited to explore with this film?
SL: Well, I think one of the things we spoke about early on was one of the things that the script did convey very powerfully, which was atmosphere, just a sense of atmosphere. Forget about story for a minute. The story was there somewhere threaded in there, it seems to me. But I found it to be interesting just in terms of the physical atmosphere that was being delineated in the script.
I also felt that the verbal quality of it was really fascinating because there’s something almost like Lewis Carroll about the way the words are getting just thrown out there. I began to think of Allen Ginsberg a lot as well because there was this quality of just rage and howl coming out of this character.
But what we began to talk about it, Lucky and I, right away said Andrew Wyeth, and that there was very much a feel of the paintings of Andrew Wyeth. What you see very often is a very specific country setting, and there’s something incredibly foreboding about it. There’s always something really kind of foreboding is the word, and I felt that was in this script.
So, all the things I’ve just described to you, Lewis Carroll, Ginsberg, Andrew Wyeth, they’re all kind of talking around the subject as it were, without defining exactly what the subject is. But it was enough to go on, it was enough to make me feel, well, those are all interesting associations, so let’s get together and actually see what this thing is about.
(L to R) Patch Darragh and Stephen Lang in ‘Old Man,’ which was directed by Lucky McKee.
MF: Do you often draw inspiration for a role from music, art or literature as opposed to just taking your inspiration from the script?
SL: I think a lot of times you do. You look for something particular and It can be anything. It can be a song, it could be a line from another movie. I mean, it could be a lot of things. It could be a stone in your boot. I mean, there’s all kinds of things that it could be.
I don’t recall ever responding to a script exactly the way I responded to this one. I wasn’t afraid of it, but I was slightly confused by it and intrigued by it. It gave me a desire to see if I could learn the language that this guy was speaking, to see if I could understand where he was at. But you’re always successful up to a degree.
MF: Can you talk about the Old Man’s reaction when he meets Joe?
SL: Well, you don’t go out in the woods like that and isolate yourself with the expectation that anybody’s going to come call. Generally speaking, if people do come call, it will be a government man, the DEA drug agents or something like that. In any case, there’s pretty much nobody that’s going to come there that the old man really wants to see.
I’d say that the odds are stacked against Joe from the get go, but he earns his way in. That’s a testament, I think, to the way that Marc Senter plays the role, which is extremely absorbent. He brings a tremendous innocence to it and a lot of very raw emotion, which has its effect on the Old Man because he is human. He’s reachable in his way.
Marc Senter stars in ‘Old Man,’ which was directed by Lucky McKee.
MF: Most of your scenes in the movie are with Marc Senter. What was it like working with him and did it ever feel like you were doing a play because it was just the two of you on set?
SL: I mean, it did. Definitely it would be unavoidable when you read the thing. You see it yourself. I think (screenwriter) Joel (Veach) might have written this as a stage play first and then put in some movie stuff. I can’t remember if that’s the case or not, but definitely, it works well as a play. There’s no question of that. Marc is a very accomplished actor and a really great scene partner. He’ll try anything.
I would say that between Marc, myself, and Lucky, we really just had a lot of fun trying to move the pieces around and find out how things work best, and where they work best. A lot of it is mechanics in a way because if you get the mechanics right, then you can just lose yourself in the material. You know what I mean? Not make too many decisions, let the decisions organically make themselves, because it’s only film and it’s not even film anymore. You can just keep going, and keep the rehearsal going.
MF: Finally, what was it like to work with James Cameron again on ‘Avatar: The Way of Water?’
SL: It’s a gift to me. It’s really one of the gifts of my life. In fact, not just my career, but my life, to be able to work with Jim and with the rest of the team. They’re so talented and such decent and humane and good people to work with. I think we all have a sense of being grateful to be in each other’s company.
And nobody’s more grateful than I am about the whole thing. We’re really gratified with the reception that the re-release has gotten, which has been nothing short of glowing. So, that’s a nice indicator. So, we stand with open hearts, full of expectation.
MF: Since your character seemingly dies in ‘Avatar,’ were you surprised to get the call to return for the sequel?
SL: I’m always surprised that anybody calls me for anything. He was pretty clear about his feelings for the character and the work that we had done together. So, I mean, I was honored to be part of the team, and continue to be.
Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.
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Kate Winslet as Ronal in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ Photo courtesy of Empire Magazine.
It’s not a stretch to say that ‘Avatar’ sequel ‘The Way of Water’ stands as one of the most anticipated follow-ups of recent years. And not just because the original film landed in 2009 and we’ve been waiting more than a decade for the next chapter of sci-fi action set on the moon of Pandora.
So far, all we’ve really had is a couple of pictures, some concept art and the first teaser. But thanks to an incoming issue of Empire magazine, James Cameron has shared some new imagery and intriguing details.
First up is more information on the character played by Kate Winslet – who first worked with Cameron on the long, arduous shoot for ‘Titanic’, playing Rose. Here, she’s someone very different: a member of the alien race known as the Na’vi, who are native to Pandora and face conflict with the humans who want to mine the place for its natural resources.
Winslet will be seen, via the magic of performance capture, as Ronal (pronounced ‘Ro-nail’), who along with Cliff Curtis’ Tonowari, leads the Metkayina clan. They dwell in the shallows of Pandora’s vast oceans, and will play a major part in the upcoming adventure.
“She is deeply loyal and a fearless leader,” Winslet tells Empire. “She is strong. A warrior. Even in the face of grave danger, and with an unborn baby on board, she still joins her people and fights for what she holds most dear. Her family and their home.”
Her reunion with Cameron is a long time coming, and she acknowledges how the years in between have altered them both. “Jim and I are both totally different people now to who we were 26 years ago,” she says. “He is calmer, and I am definitely more hyperactive now!”
Sigourney Weaver plays Jake and Neytiri’s adopted teenage Na’vi daughter In ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ Photo courtesy of Empire Magazine.
Sigourney Weaver, meanwhile, is even more of an old hand at working with the director, since they first collaborated together for 1986’s ‘Aliens’ and, following a few documentaries, Weaver played Dr. Grace Augustine in the first ‘Avatar’.
When it was announced that Weaver would be back for the second film, there was surprise since Augustine died helping the Na’vi. So how is she returning? Turns out, Weaver will play a different character… And the surprising angle is that it’s Kiri, the teenage daughter of Sam Worthington’s Jake and Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri.
The joy of performance capture, of course, is just this sort of switch-up, with actors able to play any age – or anything. Still, it wasn’t as simple as having Weaver act younger, as Cameron explains. “As an acting challenge, it’s big,” he says. “We’re gonna have a 60-something actor playing a character decades younger than her actual biological age. Sig thought it was all kinds of fun.”
According to the director, Weaver workshopped the role with a group of teenage girls to figure out mannerisms and posture. “Sigourney just became younger,” recalls Cameron. “She looked younger, she had more energy, and she never quite stepped out of Kiri for our whole capture period. She had a glow on her face and lightness in her step and a fun spirit.”
Let’s not forget, this is the first of a planned ‘Avatar’ onslaught, with three more movies planned in the coming years. For now, though, we can look to ‘The Way of Water’ arriving in theaters on December 16th.
Kate Winslet as Ronal in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ Photo courtesy of Empire Magazine.
Last week at Disney’s CinemaCon presentation, the first trailer for James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to ‘Avatar’ was revealed. It was also revealed that the movie’s title will be ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ and that it will be released with Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ which is set to put a spell on audiences beginning May 6th.
Returning for the sequel from the original movie are Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, and Joel David Moore, as well as new cast members Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, Jermaine Clement, and Vin Diesel. Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang are also scheduled to return from the first film, even though their characters were killed at the movie’s conclusion.
Moviefone had an opportunity to screen the new trailer, in a movie theater in 3D, and can breakdown all the highlights and what you can expect from the new ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ trailer before it is released in theaters on May 6th.
The trailer begins with a montage of Na’vi running on trees, flying over the ocean on winged creatures, and in their natural habitat on Pandora. We see several shots of Jake Sully (Worthington) both in his Na’vi form and his human form, with help of a walking device. Sully seems to be walking in some kind of human/ Na’vi construction site, followed by two avatars.
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There are many shots of the Na’vi in water, as the title would suggest but no real look at any of the new underwater characters being introduced in this film. We did see some of the underwater creatures, including a gigantic whale-like animal. We also get a look at the RDA’s new chopper, as well as the Na’vi preparing to go to war, using bows and arrows.
The trailer ends with Jake Sully’s voice-over saying, “I know one thing, where ever we go this family is a fortress.”
Missing from the trailer were any real plot details for the upcoming sequel, or hints to the new characters that will be played by Kate Winslet, Vin Diesel, and others, or how Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang may be able to return.
The trailer does include Cameron’s amazing use of 3D, which is what made the original movie such a hit. It was worth the wait to see Pandora again on the big screen, especially in 3D, even if it was for only a few minutes.
We highly recommend that you see the ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ trailer in a theater, and on 3D where available, when it debuts with ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness‘ on May 6th.
