If you thought that the sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 beyond-blockbuster sci-fi film Avatar was never going to come out, well, that makes sense, it’s been 13 years since the original came to movie screens, and the sequel was originally scheduled to premiere way, way back in 2014. It’s only taken eight years, but it turns out Avatar: The Way of Water is extremely real and on the way—and the proof is in this very first trailer.
Obviously, there’s very little non-visual information to tell us what the heck this movie will be about, other than the giant Na’vi of Pandora are going to spend a great deal of time splashing around in the planet’s many bodies of water. But there are the striking images of Na’vi working together with humans, other Na’vi holding weapons (but are they actual Na’vi or humans in Na’vi avatars?), and a clear focus on the two species working together—a far cry from the tense human-Na’vi relations chronicled in the original. As in the first movie, however, the film’s biggest star is the world of Pandora itself and its cacophony of alien flora, CG-rendered in stunning color and lushness, under Cameron’s direction.
The movie does have an official synopsis, which is noticeably light on specifics: “Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell 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.”
Avatar: The Way of Water stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, and CCH Pounder, all reprising their roles from the 2009 movie; Sigourney Weaver will also return, but as a different character (mysterious...). Meanwhile, Kate Winslet, Jemaine Clement, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Vin Diesel, Oona Champlin, and many more join the cast. The movie will premiere on December 16, 2022.
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