“It's something amazing. Just a plague": what is known about the continuation of the Avatar saga by James Cameron

Avatar director James Cameron, in an interview with Empire, said that in the future, after the release of the third or fourth parts of the film saga, he may transfer directorial duties to another director.

It is known that back in 2020, the shooting of the third film in the series, which tells the story of one family in several generations, was 95% completed.

“The Avatar movies themselves are kind of all-consuming,” says the director.

I have some more exciting stuff in development.

I think, in the end, over time - I don’t know, after the third or fourth (film. -

) - I would like to pass the baton to the director, whom I could entrust my place so that I can do something else, which also makes me interest".

The author of the film franchise noted that the most exciting topics are reflected in the films.

“Everything that I need to tell about the family, about sustainable development, about the climate, about the natural world, all those topics that are important to me both in real life and in cinematic life, I can depict on this canvas,” said the director.

“As I moved forward, I became more and more inspired.

The fourth movie is amazing.

It's just a plague."

The cinematographer emphasized that the story of the inhabitants of Pandora is very important and valuable to him, and expressed the hope that in the end his plan would still be realized, since all the parts of Avatar are interconnected.

“I hope I get to work on them.

But it all depends on market factors.

The third one is already finished, so it will come out anyway.

I sincerely hope that we will be able to shoot both the fourth and fifth (films. -

), because this is ultimately one big story, ”says the director.

If in the first part James Cameron acted as a director and the only screenwriter, then he attracted several experienced authors to work on the continuation of the franchise.

In the second part, Josh Friedman, who participated in the creation of Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, is involved in writing the script, and in the third part, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, who worked on the Planet of the Apes franchise and the film In the Heart of the Sea, worked on the script.

In the fourth part, Shane Salerno (Armageddon) is responsible for the script along with Cameron. 

• © Shot from the film "Avatar: The Way of the Water"

According to the plot, the action of the tape takes place several years after the events of the first film.

"Way of Water" will show us the struggle of the Na'vi people with armed earthlings who returned to Pandora in order to plunder its riches.

Jake Sully (Sam Warrington) and his wife Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) will have to do everything possible to save their family and their people from the aggressive representatives of humanity.

The main plot of the film will unfold in the ocean.

When creating the underwater world of Pandora, James Cameron was inspired by the depths of the Mariana Trench, where he dived in 2012 to film a 3D documentary.

At CinemaCon, the director noted that in the following parts he will again use 3D technology, but with even higher resolution and very realistic visual effects. 

Zoe Saldana said that filming underwater was a big challenge for the team, but James Cameron eventually managed to overcome all the difficulties.

To stage such episodes, filmmakers, in particular, have improved motion capture technology.

Previously, it was used only on land.

“Jim (James Cameron. - 

) finally managed to cope with the problem - it would seem impossible to simulate water by virtual means, using motion capture technology.

It was a difficult task that he undertook to solve, and it took him years, but he did it.

He succeeded.

And in the end it turned out powerfully and convincingly,” says Saldana.

The actress also noted that she had already seen a fragment of the upcoming second film, and promised that the audience was in for an "unforgettable adventure."

• © Shot from the film "Avatar: The Way of the Water"

In addition to the main cast, the roles in the second part will be played by Kate Winslet (“Titanic”, “The Life of David Gale”), Michelle Yeoh (“Memoirs of a Geisha”, “Everything Everywhere and At Once”) and Oona Chaplin (“The Long Road”, “Game of Thrones ").

For the role of the representative of the underwater Metkayina clan, Kate Winslet refused an understudy and was even able to hold her breath underwater for more than seven minutes.

Sigourney Weaver, who played Dr. Grace Augustine, the head of the Avatar program in the first film, will return in an unexpected role.

The 72-year-old actress will play Kiri, the adopted teenage daughter of Jake and Neiriti.

According to the actress, she was delighted with the director's proposal.

Weaver said that she remembers herself as a teenager, and she is well aware of how her character feels.

Nevertheless, the actress spent some time in the company of teenage girls and adopted their youthful enthusiasm.

James Cameron noted that Weaver seemed younger.

According to him, she even began to look different - throughout the entire filming period, she did not leave the image of Kiri, she was in a cheerful mood, her face shone, and lightness appeared in her steps.

In addition to Weaver, another character who died in the first part of the tape will return to his role.

They became the main villain of "Avatar" performed by Stephen Lang - Colonel Miles Quaritch.

• Photos from the filming of "Avatar: The Path of Water"

• © kinopoisk.ru

The first Avatar was released in 2009 and became a cult hit, breaking all world box office records ($2.85 billion including re-rolls).

The tape was in theaters in the United States for ten months and for a long time remained the highest grossing in history.

The film received a number of film awards, including Oscars for best cinematography, scenery and visual effects.

The Avatar: The Way of the Water sequel is set to release worldwide on December 14, 2022.

The release of the film, originally scheduled for 2014, has been repeatedly postponed over the past eight years.

It is expected that "Avatar 3" will be released in 2024, and the fourth and fifth parts - in 2026-2028, respectively.

In 2018, the possible titles of the films were published - The Seed Bearer ("Seed Carrier") for the third part, The Tulkun Rider ("Tulkun Rider") for the fourth and The Quest for Eywa ("In Search of Eywa") for the fifth.

Cameron confirmed that he does not exclude such options, but the final choice has not yet been made.