Fans have been waiting a long, long time for the arrival of James Cameron's Avatar 2. The first movie came out a little over 12 years ago, and there have been a ridiculous number of delays that have constantly pushed the sequel back. There have been times when it has felt like the film would never actually get here, but now it seems more real than ever – and I say that because the highly anticipated follow-up to the biggest box office hit of all time now has an official title, and the teaser trailer will arrive very soon.
It was officially announced at CinemaCon today during the Walt Disney presentation that Avatar 2 will we titled Avatar: The Way Of Water, and it has been revealed that the first trailer will be seen in theaters with the release of Sam Raimi's Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness next Friday, May 6. For a limited time it will be a big screen exclusive, meaning that it won't immediately be released online; you'll have to head to your local multiplex for the experience.
If Avatar: The Way Of Water as a title sounds familiar, it's because that was the rumored name of the film that leaked out all the way back in November 2018. When James Cameron responded to the leak a few months later (in February 2019), he said that he could neither confirm nor deny the report, and that no final decision had been made. Well, now it appears that it has been.
The Avatar: The Way Of Water teaser had its world premiere in front of the crowd gathered in The Colosseum of Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, and it's primarily driven by beautiful visions of Pandora and shots of the family that has been started by Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) in the years since the events that went down in the first Avatar.
It was shown in 3D, and there is a terrific blend of both intense depth and moments where characters and creatures poke out of the screen. If you have the ability to see the Avatar: The Way Of Water trailer in 3D when it is in theaters next week, I'd highly recommend it.
There is only one line of dialogue in the teaser spot, and it has Jake talking to Neytiri and saying,
I know one thing wherever we go, this family is our fortress.
Speaking on the CinemaCon stage, producer Jon Landau (who specifically flew into Vegas from New Zealand for the event) announced that the three upcoming Avatar sequels will all have standalone plots that center on the family crated by Jake and Neytiri – with all of the chapters having their own beginnings, middles, and ends. At the same time, however, there will be through-line that connects everything to create a macro story.
Avatar: The Way Of Water features an outstanding cast that includes not only returning stars including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, and Sigourney Weaver, but also Kate Winslet, Edie Falco Michelle Yeoh, Vin Diesel, Jermaine Clement, and Cliff Curtis. The film will be in theaters everywhere on December 16.
