Disney unveiled the final trailer for the highly-anticipated Avatar: The Way of Water.
The trailer hints at the sequel's scale, giving viewers a glance at the Resource Development Administration (RDA) as it takes its efforts to mine Pandora's natural resources into the oceans. The video also includes a look at the interpersonal drama that will drive some of The Way of Water's new characters as they're forced to live as outcasts in a new tribe. As can be expected from Avatar, the stunning alien life is also spotlighted as the Na'vi are seen darting through the oceans with the help of an aquatic creature or taking to the skies on the backs of Ikran.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron, who also helmed the original Avatar, the long-awaited sequel has been in development for over a decade. Taking place several years after the first film, The Way of Water will see Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) return along with their family of five children. Yet when the RDA begins exerting more pressure on the Omaticaya Clan to abandon their forest home, the group flees to Pandora's oceans to look for help. When talking about the film, Cameron hasn't shied away from the family dynamics at play, even comparing the movie to the iconic TV drama The Sopranos.
Avatar Is All About Family
"People say, 'Oh my God, a family story from Disney? Just what we want...' This isn’t that kind of family story," Cameron said. "This is a family story like how The Sopranos is a family story." The director has also noted that the complexities of the family unit are one of the reasons The Way of Water sports a lengthy runtime of over three hours. "We didn’t spend as much time on relationship and emotion in the first film as we do in the second film, and it’s a longer film, because there’s more characters to service," Cameron explained.
While the hype around the Avatar sequel continues to build, it remains to be seen whether The Way of Water matches the success of the first film, which holds the record for the highest-grossing movie of all time. "We're in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even. It's the one-two punch — the pandemic and streaming. Or, conversely, maybe we'll remind people what going to the theater is all about," Cameron said.
Avatar: The Way of Water hits theaters on Dec. 16.
Source: YouTube