The long-awaited Avatar 2 looks "impressive," according to one viewer who received a first look at the upcoming sci-fi sequel.
Director and writer James Cameron screened footage of the follow-up to his 2009 film Avatar in Manhattan Beach, where much of the movie was shot. The preview was reportedly held to generate interest for theater owners before the film releases in December 2022. The What I'm Hearing... newsletter spoke to someone that attended the screening, who shared that many of the previewed scenes took place underwater and praised the footage shown.
Avatar 2 has had a long-delayed production process, causing its theatrical release date to have been rescheduled eight different times. Cameron initially planned to release the sequel in 2015, but filming underwent multiple delays due to the writing of the movie. Eventually, the release date was set for December 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down filming between March and September 2020 and closed movie theaters across the country, so the film endured one more delay and is now scheduled to release on Dec. 16, 2022.
Four sequels to Avatar, which regained its title as the highest-grossing film of all time from Avengers: Endgame, are currently in production. Avatar 2 finished filming and entered post-production in September 2020, at which time Cameron revealed Avatar 3 was being filmed concurrently with the second film and was 95% complete. Two more sequels Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 will begin filming after post-production on the first two sequels is complete. The rumored budget of all four films is $1 billion in total.
Many of the actors from the original, such as Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang, are set to return for the sequels despite their characters' deaths. Fast & Furious franchise star Vin Diesel has been rumored to be joining the Avatar universe in its sequels since he recorded a video of himself with Cameron on the films' set. When asked if he would appear in the sequels by MTV News, Diesel teased, "I love James Cameron. I love James Cameron and I love the series and I think it's safe to say that we will be working together." However, he admitted that he had not shot anything with Cameron yet, meaning that his potential character will not appear in Avatar 2 or 3.
Written and directed by James Cameron, Avatar 2 stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco, Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis. The film is slated to release in theaters Dec. 16, 2022.
Source: What I'm Hearing..., via Puck News