The Avatar sequels spent so long in development hell it was easy to start to believe we would never actually see them. So many movies that have been through less have fallen apart before ever being made, and yet, Avatar: The Way of Water is almost here. It’s taking another big step toward its release this December, as the score is now being recorded. Luckily the musicians don’t need to work underwater.
Avatar 2 producer Jon Landau’s Instagram has been a great place to follow the progress of the long awaited Avatar sequels, and now it has shown us that the production has reached the point where the score for the new film is being recorded. Score recording is one of the last major elements to be added to a movie, so this movie is very nearly complete.
Avatar’s Score Is Being Recorded
Considering how late in the process the score is usually composed, it’s sort of amazing that we’re here. Considering how long James Cameron spent writing these movies and how many times the release date was pushed back, it would have been easy to assume these sequels were never really going to happen. But as with every behind-the-scenes shot of production we’ve seen, this one shows us just how real it all is.
The score for Avatar: The Way of Water has been composed by Simon Franglen. He’s taking over from James Horner, who handled the music for the original Avatar, as well as for many of James Cameron’s other films. Unfortunately, Horner passed away in 2015. Franglen certainly isn’t new to the world of Pandora, however. He worked with Horner on the original film, and he also composed all the music found at Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Pandora - The World of Avatar.
Avatar 2’s Extensive Underwater Production
The good news for everybody making the music for Avatar: The Way of Water is that they’re not actually going to be required to deal with actual water. The production of the Avatar sequel was absolutely unique in the way in which so much of it was literally filmed underwater. Actors had to learn to hold their breath for extended periods in order to complete takes. The people making the Aquaman movies didn’t have to deal with this.
It will never be said that Jams Cameron does not go hard. Most of his movies have pushed the limits of filmmaking in ways most of us would never guess. The question now is how those other three Avatar movies, that we now have to believe we will actually see, will impress us even more.
