The long wait is over: we’re heading back to Pandora.
The teaser trailer for the Avatar: The Way of Water dropped on Monday, treating fans to a new look at the characters of Jake Sully, Neytiri and more.
James Cameron’s original blockbuster, Avatar, was released in 2009 and broke records when it did so for being the most expensive film ever made, clocking in at a cool $300m.
Filmed in 3D with motion-capture technology, it pushed the boundaries of what cinema could do.
This is evidently an ambition still held by director James Cameron, who told audiences the same thing about the sequel at the trailer’s first viewing at Cinema Con in Las Vegas.
Though the trailer was initially limited to running before screens of Marvel film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, now everybody can see it as it (though not in 3D: that’s still only available in cinemas).
Though it doesn’t give away many clues about the plot, it shows stunning clips from around the planet of Pandora, including Jake Sully and Neytiri (played by Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana) as they explore the world and creatures in it.
At the end of the clip, Jake says: “I know one thing. Wherever we go, this family is our fortress.”
The film’s synopsis is similarly vague, reading: “Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.”
So far, so mysterious. And despite the long wait between films – thirteen years and counting – Avatar 3 wrapped filming in 2017, months after the second.
With four total sequels in production, producer Jon Landau confirmed that the films work alone, but “together are an even greater connected epic saga.”
Though audiences still have a while to wait until the film’s release, they will also be able to watch the first Avatar film, which is being re-released in cinemas on 23 September.
Avatar: The Way of Water will make its way onto cinema screens in the US on December 16.
