Los Angeles: Filmmaker James Cameron’s much-awaited sequel to his 2009 blockbuster film Avatar has received an official title.
The sci-fi adventure movie, which comes from 20th Century Studio, is titled Avatar: The Way of Water and will release theatrically worldwide December 14.
The announcement was made during 20th Century Studio’s parent company Disney’s presentation at the ongoing CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas, reported Deadline.
Cameron and producer Jon Landau appeared virtually from New Zealand during the presentation to screen exclusive footage from the film.
Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana return as Jake Sully and Na’vi Neytiri, respectively, as the film’s story focuses on the two primary protagonists, their family and the lengths they go to keep each other safe.
The footage in the teaser trailer focuses on Jake and Neytiri and includes gorgeous shots of the alien world Pandora’s bright blue water, both above and below the surface. There were also shots of Toruk, the legendary flying creature introduced in the first film, and new whale-like creatures.
Landau said, “One of the strengths of Jim Cameron’s scripts is they are always universal and relatable themes that he weaves into them.”
“At the centre of each of the four sequels will be the Sully family. Each story will be a stand-alone and each will come to its own conclusion. There will be a fulfilling resolution to each film, but when looked at as a whole the journey across all four will create a larger epic saga,” he added.
Cameron expressed his confidence in the exhibition sector as he took note of the hardship the industry faced in the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I just want you to hear it from me: Jon and I are here to work with you. The best way is by delivering content that is a must-see experience at the cinema,” he said.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker said he was “hard at work putting the final touches on the film”.
“I wanted our return to Pandora to be something really special. Every shot is designed for the biggest screen, highest resolution and most immersive 3D available. I think we pulled it off,” he added.
Released in 2009, Cameron’s Avatar became the top-grossing film of all time at the worldwide box office with more than USD 2.8 billion in revenues.
Avatar: The Way of Water will also mark the return of Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine and Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch. The new entrants include Vin Diesel and Kate Winslet, who had famously starred in Cameron’s 1997 hit Titanic.
