James Cameron’s Avatar took the movie world by storm when it was released in 2009. At the time it was released, it became the highest-grossing movie, displacing Titanic from the top spot. Surprisingly, Titanic was another Box Office hit by none other than James Cameron.
Creating an imaginary world is one thing; getting millions of people to believe in its storyline and direction is yet another. Finally, after a long wait of 13 years from fans, the ever-anticipated Avatar 2 known as “Avatar: The Way of Water,” will be released in the theaters on December 16, 2022.
If the official trailer is anything to go by, fans are in for another epic movie experience. While all of this is exciting, there’s more good news for fans of the movie series. There have been talks by Cameron and now confirmed by producer Jon Landau of turning the tables and bringing the Na’vi to earth in Avatar 5.
What to Expect in Avatar 5
credit: Avatar: The Way of Water
While we wait to explore all that Avatar 2 has got to offer, Cameron and the movie’s producers are way ahead of us, strategizing on the storyline for Avatar 5. This time around, the film’s direction is to have Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldaña, experience the wonders of Earth. And it does make sense.
Apart from her husband Jake, played by Sam Worthington, Neytiri and her Na’vi tribe have only been exposed to the worst of the human race. Just as Jake has had the opportunity to know and learn about the Na’vi culture, it’s only fair to have Neytiri experience and learn the ways of humans—good humans.
Pressed to elaborate on it, Jon Landau said,
“I wasn’t going to talk about it, but I’ve now subsequently heard that [director] Jim [Cameron] has talked about it a little bit. In movie five, there is a section of the story where we go to Earth. And we go to it to open people’s eyes, open Neytiri’s eyes, to what exists on Earth.”
Why Is This Important?
credit: Avatar
It was a rollercoaster of emotions watching the Na’vi people have their world almost destroyed by the invading Resources Development Administration (RDA). It’s pretty hard to get the scenes of their cries and wailing off the mind as we see humans’ insatiable need for exploration.
The RDA is only concerned with finding and mining natural resources to supplement earth’s depleted reserves. With the ever-valuable unobtanium in supply on Pandora, nothing was going to stop the RDA from getting enough. When Jake chooses to go “rogue” and help the Na’vi save Pandora, the Na’vi get a glimpse of how humans can be peaceful and loving.
It’s amazing the movie creator and producers push this narrative to the Na’vi tribe that there are more good humans like Jake than they are like the RDA. However, knowing Cameron’s storytelling prowess, you can expect to see different angles to this story.
What’s the Progress of the Sequels So far?
credit: Avatar: The Way of Water
Although it may have taken a 13-year gap to release the first sequel, Cameron and the team have been busy filming others. Cameron signed a contract with 20th Century Fox to produce four sequels after the first movie installment. In other words, you wouldn’t have to wait another 13 years to watch Avatar 3. As of the time of this report, filming of Avatar 3 has been completed, with Avatar 4 still in the production stage.
Any delay the team might face would have to be a result of budget or lack of available technology. But, if you know Cameron, he’s not one to compromise on the quality of his visuals for any reason. Although the contract is on for four sequels, the production company and team hope each will succeed like the first movie.
According to Jon Landau, with respect to Box Office expectations and audience reception for Avatar 2 and other sequels,
“I think right now we want each movie to do exactly what the first movie did. We want [audiences] to go, ‘Wow. Where else could they go? They just showed us everything on Pandora.’ Then you go, ‘Holy cow. They’re going to the oceans. Wow. The oceans are amazing.’ Okay, that’s over. Where can it go? Same thing from an emotional story. We end the [first] movie with Jake and this transformation. But we’ve suffered the loss of [Sigourney Weaver’s character] Grace, and we’ve suffered other things. We want people to come out of this movie with an emotional resolution that both calls for a yearning to go back to those characters and to the world.”
With a two-year interval between each movie, Avatar 3‘s projected release date is 2024. Avatar 4 is expected to be released in 2026, while you can expect to watch Neytiri’s journey to earth in Avatar 5 in 2028. Barring any unforeseen delays and hitches, Cameron and his team and confident to deliver.
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