American movie buffs are awash with envy on social media as reports from the international market indicate that screenings of James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster Avatar contain seemingly random sneak footage of Avatar: The Way of Water. These sneak peeks seem intended to complement the wave of renewed marketing and hype by Disney around the IP.
Set in the 22nd century, the groundbreaking Avatar film tells a story that revolves around the conflict between humans and the Na'vi, sentient humanoid natives of the far-off planet of Pandora, where the denizens of Earth hope to acquire the aptly named unobtanium. The central character of the narrative is Jake Sully, a paraplegic who replaces his identical twin in a program that transfers the consciousness of a suitable human subject into that of a Na'vi to withstand the planet's otherwise toxic atmosphere. Integrating into the tribe of noble natives, Sully eventually turns on the destructive designs of his people, leading to a climactic conflict that sees their plans thwarted. The follow-up has been hotly anticipated for over a decade now, with many hoping that Cameron repeats his success with Terminator 2 and delivers a worthy sequel.
The upcoming Avatar project, set to release in 2022, is one of four planned sequels, only two of which were announced as early as 2010 and have recently concluded principal filming, with Disney releasing a captivating Avatar: The Way of Water trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness audiences. As part of the campaign for the upcoming release, Disney has re-released the original movie in theaters to give fans both old and new a taste of the cinematic spectacle that The Way of Water will likely be. While the re-releases don’t start until Friday in the US, showings in other countries are heavily rumored to have shown sneak footage of the upcoming movie, with fans on Twitter raving about the post-credit teasers in a manner reminiscent of Disney's Marvel Studios films.
The sneak peeks have gone a long way to ramp up the conversation surrounding the upcoming sequel. Now, many who might have passed up on the experience are strongly incentivized to reconsider by the promise of a spoiler-free look at the future project’s visuals. Disney also pulled Avatar from its Disney Plus streaming service to facilitate the return to theaters, ensuring that the small contingent of viewers who are hearing about the film for the first time experience it as intended.
Cameron, whose 2009 release of the film saw him surpass himself when Avatar beat Titanic as the then highest-grossing film of all time to the current tune of $2.84 billion, has been working on following up his success for years now, and fans are certainly in for a doozy. While the exact runtime is unknown, the film is likely to go on for quite a while, with Cameron warning fans not to complain about Avatar 2's runtime. Considering that the project was significantly delayed in part due to technological restrictions at the time of conception, it is likely that fans will have more than enough to keep them watching for however long the sequel runs.
While the general attitude is exciting, some skeptics are quick to point out that the original film's groundbreaking visual effects and techniques did much to shelter a rather linear plot that doesn't easily lend itself to a sequel. As such, it remains to be seen how the plot of the upcoming project will ensure that it can stand alone, or what the legendary writer, director, and producer can do to further cement his legacy as one of the most influential science fiction directors ever.
Avatar: The Way of Water is set to be released in theaters on December 16, 2022.
Source: Deadline