avatar 2

Jake Sully and Ney'tiri 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.

The Way of Water is a 2022 American epic science fiction film directed and produced by James Cameron, who co-edited the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver from a story the trio wrote with Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. Distributed by 20th Century Studios, it is the sequel to Avatar (2009) and the second installment in the Avatar film series. Cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, and Matt Gerald reprise their roles from the original film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in an additional role.[6] New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, and Jemaine Clement. In the film, Na'vi Jake Sully (Worthington) and his family, under renewed human threat, seek refuge with the Metkayina clan of Pandora.

Cameron stated in 2006 that he would like to make sequels to Avatar if it was successful, and he announced the first two sequels in 2010, following the widespread success of the first film, with the first sequel aiming for a 2014 release. However, the addition of two more sequels, for a total of five Avatar films, and the necessity to develop new technology in order to film performance capture scenes underwater, a feat never accomplished before, led to significant delays to allow the crew more time to work on the writing, preproduction, and visual effects.[9] The filming process, which occurred simultaneously with a currently untitled third film, began in Manhattan Beach, California, on August 15, 2017. The filming location moved to Wellington, New Zealand, on September 25, 2017, and concluded in late September 2020 after three years of shooting. With an estimated budget of $350–460 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made.Following repeated delays in the expected release schedule, Avatar: The Way of Water premiered in London on December 6, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 16, 2022. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the film for its visual effects and technical achievements but criticized the plot and lengthy runtime.[10] The film has grossed over $1.903 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2022 and the seventh highest-grossing film of all time. It was the sixth-fastest film to cross the billion-dollar mark, doing so in 14 days,[11] and the fourth film to cross the $1 billion mark since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film also received numerous accolades, including nominations for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director at the 80th Golden Globe Awards.Development

James Cameron speaking in 2010

Director James Cameron in 2010

In 2006, James Cameron stated that if Avatar (2009) was successful, he would consider making two sequels.[7] In 2010, he said the sequels would proceed as planned as a result of the film's widespread success.[8] The sequels were originally scheduled for release in December 2014 and 2015.[9] He included certain scenes in the first film for future story follow-ups.[7][12] Cameron planned to shoot the sequels back-to-back and to begin work "once the novel is nailed down".[46] He stated that the sequels would widen the universe while exploring other moons of Polyphemus.[47] The first sequel would focus on the ocean of Pandora and also feature more of the rainforest.[48] He intended to capture footage for the sequel at the bottom of the Mariana Trench using a deepwater submersible.[49] In 2011, Cameron stated that he was just starting to design the ocean ecosystem of Pandora and the other worlds to be included in the story. The storyline, although continuing the environmental theme of the first film, would not be "strident" since the film will concentrate on entertainment.[50] The sequels were confirmed as continuing to follow the characters of Jake and Neytiri in December 2009.[13] Cameron implied that the humans would return as the antagonists of the story.[51] In 2011, Cameron stated his intention to film the sequels at a higher frame rate than the industry standard 24 frames per second, in order to add a heightened sense of reality.[52]

In 2013, Cameron announced that the sequels would be filmed in New Zealand, with performance capture to take place in 2014. An agreement with the New Zealand government required at least one world premiere to be held in Wellington and at least NZ$500 million (approximately US$410 million at December 2013 exchange rates) to be spent on production activity in New Zealand, including live-action filming and visual effects. The New Zealand government announced it would raise its baseline tax rebate for filmmaking from 15% to 20%, with 25% available to international productions in some cases and 40% for New Zealand productions (as defined by section 18 of the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978).

Cameron mentioned a possible third sequel for the first time in 2012; and was officially confirmed the following year. Cameron was then looking to release Avatar 2 in 2015, but later that year, production was rescheduled for 2014, with the film to be released in December 2016, and to be followed by the two other sequels in 2017 and 2018. By 2015, the scheduled release dates for the sequels were each delayed by another year, with the first sequel expected to be released in December 2017; this was due to the writing process, which Cameron called "a complex job".The following month, Fox announced a further release delay.] In February 2016, production of the sequels was scheduled to begin in April 2016 in New Zealand.] In April 2016, Cameron announced at CinemaCon that there will be four Avatar sequels, all of which will be filmed simultaneously.[62] The four Avatar sequels share a $1 billion budget (e.g. $250 million each film).

New crew members include cinematographer Russell Carpenter, who worked with Cameron on True Lies (1994) and Titanic (1997), and Aashrita Kamath, who will act as art director on all four sequels.[64][65][66] Kirk Krack, founder of Performance Freediving International, worked as a free-diving trainer for the cast and crew for the underwater scenes.[67] Several creatures that were first introduced in the Walt Disney World theme park attraction Avatar Flight of Passage were featured in the film.

In 2019, after several media outlets shared rumors of potential titles for the Avatar sequels, including the name Avatar: The Way of Water, Cameron confirmed that the titles mentioned were "among titles that are in consideration" but had not been finalized at the time.

In 2022, Cameron said that about ten minutes of "gunplay action" were cut from the film as he was no longer inclined to "fetishize the gun", although he is known as an "action filmmaker".