He’s back – and how.
Thirteen years after his last directorial debut, Avatar In 2009 – the highest-grossing film in history with over $2.8 billion at the global box office – James Cameron is returning with his sequel For the epic sci-fi event.
Avatar: The Way of Water Actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana will reprise their iconic roles of Jake Sully and Neytiri from the first film, now playing loving parents who have lived a peaceful life with the Omatikaya clan for over a decade Have done When their utopia is suddenly threatened again by human forces, they are forced to travel across Pandora and flee to an underwater realm held by the Metkaina clan, led by Ronal ( Oscar winner Kate Winslet does in a reunion with him). Titanic director 25 Years Later) and Tonovari (Cliff Curtis).
Now, they must navigate life and acceptance in their new community, all while fending off danger from the ‘Sky People’, who will stop at nothing to colonize Pandora, and make it the new home for humanity as Earth Almost livable.
With other returning cast members – Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang – and new members like Jack Champion, Bailey Bass and James Flatters, director James Cameron ( titanic, aliens, terminator 2) promises another spectacle for the ages, even as his visionary mind already detects the development of three Avatar Sequels are due in 2024, 2026 and 2028.
The pioneering filmmaker who started the 3D renaissance movement that transformed the global film industry as we know it brings innovation of another first-of-its-kind Avatar: The Way of Water The concept of capturing underwater performance, thanks to Cameroon’s unprecedented development of deep-sea exploration vehicles and expeditions into some of the world’s deepest trenches, is now awaited with breathtaking anticipation.
Ahead of the film’s theatrical release on December 16, we speak to James Cameron and some of his cast members at a global press conference. Excerpts:
James Cameron
Imagine a sequel to ‘Avatar’:
It’s funny, because it seems obvious to everyone that since we made a bunch of money, we should only do a sequel, right? Well, Stephen Spielberg didn’t make a sequel at Even though it was the highest-grossing film of its time, What Now… It’s a No Brain; How can you predict that lightning will strike twice in the same place?
Director James Cameron on the set of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ | photo credit: Mark Feldman
back when we did Avatar, the characters were simple, as was the story. Now, we also go much deeper into the matter of heart and emotions. I was inspired by the fact that Zoe and Sam are both parents, and I am a parent of five; So we wanted to get into the dynamics of the family and the responsibilities of child-rearing. And also see what that is from the point of view of the child.
When you have children you learn to be afraid; When you have something bigger than yourself that you can lose.
building strong female characters
It was fairly easy with Zoe’s character, Neytiri, as she is very strong in the first film. But then we find out what happens when she becomes a mother and when her kids are the priority. Similarly, what is his new social status now? He has to appear before Ronal and Metkayna, and be humble. But it doesn’t last very long with him and sparks fizzle out very quickly between the two alpha females. This is resolved over time not only within this film, but throughout the franchise.
As far as Kate’s character goes, she goes to war — I don’t think it’s a spoiler, because it is in the trailer — six months pregnant, but she doesn’t hesitate. When her children are in danger, she keeps on running.
fun in cgi
I first saw the film six months ago; Incomplete, without visual effects, not in 3D.
Then I re-watched the completed version a week ago… and what really struck me – looking at all the spectacle, the creatures and the design – was the work, the performances, the people, you know? I see scenes where there is no dialogue, and yet it is close-up, and there is a whole dialogue in the eyes.
Director James Cameron and actor Sam Worthington | photo credit: Mark Feldman
The subtlety of being protected allows us, when we are in the capture space, to be as detailed and specific as we want. If you’re just normal…well, that’s not the kind of challenge we want at this stage of our lives and careers.
We want to find just the right time for every moment. But if you can’t trust the downstream process, and it’s going to come in CG characters, what’s the point? So I’m very proud of not only what we created together, but how that was preserved in these Final Fantasy characters that aren’t human.
How James Cameron Cracked Underwater Performance Capture
for Avatar sequel, Cameron and his team had to determine how to capture the performances underwater, something that had never been done before.
To help them deliver a better underwater performance, the cast of actors studied free diving with internationally renowned expert Kirk Krack
The producers used a massive tank that served as the films’ underwater “volume”, known as performance-capture stages, which were 120 feet long, 60 feet wide and 30 feet deep and held 250,000 gallons. Holds more water than
Performance capture for the film began in September of 2017 and lasted approximately 18 months, with James Cameron and the cast working on scenes from all four sequels.
Cameron also used a revolutionary virtual camera to create specific shots, allowing the director to shoot scenes within his computer-generated world as if he were filming on real location or on a Hollywood soundstage.
Shots and performances were delivered to visual effects specialists at Peter Jackson’s Academy Award-winning visual effects powerhouse Weta FX in New Zealand.
Also… all crowd scenes in this film with over 100 people; These 10 actors are roaming around! (laughs) It’s a small group and we all love each other and enjoy the process.
Sam Worthington
gaining momentum, 13 years later
so jim gave me a script that was Avatar 1.5 In a way, it was self-explanatory and took us into the last decade of these characters’ lives. Jim realized that the story was about him being a warrior and fighting a war of clans, but it was also a natural extension of this love story. It gave us a good jumping off point to understand how to fill that gap.
Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) in ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’
In water way, Jake (Sully) opens his eyes to love; The culture, the planet and the love of Neytiri. They have a family, and it’s about the love and security of that world. His partner in crime is a very fiery person. He just tries to be earth, and we have lots of water. It is very original.
Actors Stephen Lang, Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington | photo credit: Chung Sung-joon
zoe saldana
Resonate with Neytiri like never before
Neytiri and I have kind of lived parallel lives. There’s a level of fearlessness and rebellion in me that relates to that, and we found a sense of belonging in that. That leap of falling in love with something outside of yourself, that challenges you to see something you’ve never seen before… that’s always been his dilemma. She also deals with fear. In my personal life, when I became a parent, fear crept in; The fear of losing something you love so much, you know? You just spend so much time creating these imaginary scenarios.
Zoe Saldana (Neytiri) and Sam Worthington (Jake Sully) in a scene from the film
When I read the second script, it was her, she was Neytiri. But I didn’t see it then. I see it now.
Kate Winslet
A Titanic-Scale Reunion With The Master
Jim hopes for the best in everything. Working with him is precise, it’s meticulous, it’s thorough – but what really drew me in most were the characters he created. Jim has always written characters for women who are not only strong but also leaders. They lead from their heart, with integrity, they stand in their truth and own their power. He has physical strength that is admirable, and to be a part of this… I was so happy that Jim asked me.
Kate Winslet and James Cameron attend the world premiere of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ in London | photo credit: Gareth Cattermole
When I reached there, I was welcomed into a world that had already been created by these people. The first thing Zoe and Sam did was to create a heartthrob. It’s one thing for Jim to write it, but quite another to find it, to give it a life and a pulsation and real blood in those veins.
It was extraordinary to be around him. This is not a performance; It is a universe. It is a love, something that can be felt, and you feel it when you step into that space. It’s an empty space, but it’s filled to the brim with truth and dynamics and pulses created by these people.
Kate Winslet plays Ronal, the royal or shamanic matriarch of the Metkayna clan.
breaking an underwater record
(Kate Winslet held her breath for seven minutes and 15 seconds while filming Avatar sequel, a record of sorts in Hollywood)
I actually have a video of when I came out of that breath hold, and the only reason I have it is because my husband chimed in! You’ll see me saying, “Am I dead, am I dead, am I dead?” Then, I wanted to know my time straight away, and I couldn’t believe it had been over seven minutes. I wanted James to know right away, that’s the first thing I wanted to do!