For a movie that seemed like it would never actually get made in the first place, Avatar 2 now feels like the movie that will never be finished. Of course, the reason for that is that James Cameron isn't actually just making Avatar 2 but also Avatar 3 and apparently some of Avatar 4. Still, the production, even without the delays brought on by the global pandemic, has been an epic one, to say the least. And hearing Sigourney Weaver talk about her experience making the movie it sounds all the grander.
In a recent profile in The New York Times Sigourney Weaver talks about the experience of making the Avatar sequels. While some of the preparation work sounds like a lot of fun, like practice dives off Key West in Florida and in Hawaii, sitting on the ocean floor with rays floating around her, a lot of it was much more intense. Sigourney Weaver practiced with an expert who trains elite military divers so that she, with the help of a lung full of supplemental oxygen, she could hold her breath for six minutes at a time.
In addition, she had weights tied to her body in order to keep her submerged for filming. Professional divers were on hand to race Sigourney Weaver to the surface of the water to get air when needed. She and the rest of the cast also had to learn how to look natural while performing underwater. People naturally squint their eyes and clamp their mouths shut while submerged, but they all had to look like this was completely normal. Sigourney Weaver admits it was a lot to take in, but she wanted to do it, and she wanted to prove she could...
I had some concerns. But that’s what the training was for. And I really wanted to do it. I didn’t want anyone to think, ‘Oh, she’s old, she can’t do this.’
And of course, all this was for an actress who, as far as know is playing a character who is dead. We still don't know how the movie is going to work around all that.
Of course, while the Avatar sequels are now finally happening after so many years of James Cameron only talking about it and trying to finish what became four more scripts, that doesn't mean we're getting any closer to the actual movies. While Avatar 2 seemed to finally be set for a December 2022 release, it was pushed back another year due to the global pandemic. It seems like Avatar 2 is going to remain two years away forever. And that's mostly a shame because considering everything that the cast and crew have clearly put into these movies, I'm sure a lot of people would like to see the fruits of that labor.
The original Avatar became the highest-grossing movie of all time when it was released, and if the sequels wow the audience enough, perhaps they could give Avengers: Endgame a run for its money.
