'Avatar 2': Everything We Know About Release Date, Cast, Filming Details, Sequels & More
When can we expect a return trip to Pandora?
James Cameron blew away audiences back in 2009 with Avatar, a story that’s as visually stunning as it is ecologically aware. Avatar takes us to the somewhat distant future on a planet named Pandora, where humans of Earth have set up a mining operation and disrupted the lives of the Na’vi, the humanoid natives of Pandora. In an effort to interact with the Na’vi, humans have created an “Avatar,” which is the body of a Na’vi operated by the technologically-inserted consciousness of a human.
Cameron worked with linguists to create an entirely functioning Na’vi language, invented his own specialized camera for capturing actors’ facial expressions, and paved the way for future use of motion-capture animation in filmmaking. The effects of Avatar were absolutely groundbreaking for their time, and the film broke all kinds of box-office records. After the wildly successful first movie, Cameron then signed on to create four more Avatar films. Below, we’ve put together everything we know so far about the next installment of the franchise: Avatar 2.
Is there an Avatar 2 Trailer?
The trailer for Avatar 2 hasn’t been released yet, but we’ll be sure to share it here when it is.
When is the Avatar 2 Release Date?
It’s been a long time coming, and the second installment to the Avatar franchise will hit theaters on December 16, 2022. The first two sequels were announced way back in 2010, with hopes for a 2014 release. The demands of the film saw a total of eight theatrical delays over many years, with the last delay announced in June of 2020, bringing us to the current 2022 release date.
The third installment is planned for release in December of 2024, the fourth coming out in December of 2026, and the final film released in December of 2028.
Who is in the Avatar 2 Cast?
Avatar 2 features many actors returning from the first film, including Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Matt Gerald, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Dileep Rao, and Giovanni Ribisi. Avatar 2 will also see the return of Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang somehow… (Spoiler alert: they, uhhh, died in Avatar?).
Exciting new additions to the cast include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, and Vin Diesel.
Who Are the New Characters in Avatar 2?
With much of Avatar 2 taking place among the underwater reefs of Pandora, we’re introduced to a new tribe of people on the planet, the reef-dwellers of the Metkayina.
Kate Winslet is Rona, a free-diver and part of the Metkayina tribe, and Cliff Curtis portrays Tonowari, leader of the Metkayina.
The human side of the new character group includes Edie Falco as General Ardmore, the woman in charge of protecting the mining interests, Jemaine Clement as marine biologist Dr. Ian Garvin, Michelle Yeoh as Dr. Karina Mogue, and Oona Chaplin as a character named Varang.
Unfortunately, we don’t know yet what sort of role Vin Diesel is playing in Avatar 2, but we’re dying to find out.
When is Avatar 2 Filming?
After James Cameron announced in February 2017 that the writing for the sequels was complete, preliminary shooting for Avatar 2 began in California on August 15, 2017, with digital effect work beginning that summer as well. In September of 2017, principal photography for both Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 began, with much of the underwater motion-capture filming taking place between November 2017 and May of 2018. By June of 2018, Zoe Saldana had finished shooting her portions for both Avatar 2 and its sequel, and filming then moved to New Zealand for the next six months. Motion-capture filming was finally wrapped up in November of 2018, with the live-action filming to follow.
Live-action filming in New Zealand then began February of 2019, lasting until November of that year and breaking for the holidays, resuming in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic halted the production of Avatar 2 on March 17, 2020, forcing production to remain in Los Angeles indefinitely. Filming in New Zealand finally resumed in June 2020, with James Cameron announcing in September of 2020 that the live-action filming was now complete.
What is the Story for Avatar 2?
While many of the Avatar 2 details have remained under wraps, we do know that this second installment is set on Pandora approximately 12 years after the first movie. Jake Sully (Worthington) has lived on Pandora for many years since making the choice to permanently transfer his human consciousness into his Avatar body and become the new leader of the Na’vi people. He and Neytiri (Saldana), a Na’vi native, have since started a family and had children of their own.
The colonizing forces of the RDA and their mining operations have returned to Pandora in a revival of their original pursuits, forcing Jake and Neytiri to take their family and flee their home. While it’s unclear how exactly Lang will reprise his role as Colonel Miles Quaritch, he’s slated to return as the main villain for this and future installments of the Avatar franchise.
Avatar 2 will explore the unknown parts of Pandora and focus heavily on the planet’s underwater life, which is where we’ll be introduced to the Metkayina people. The Metkayina are a clan of Pandora natives who live among the reefs and oceans, and are the central community of the second film.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Cameron said of the sequel(s): “It will be a natural extension of all the themes, and the characters, and the spiritual undercurrents. Basically, if you loved the first movie, you're gonna love these movies, and if you hated it, you're probably gonna hate these. If you loved it at the time, and you said later you hated it, you're probably gonna love these.”
Well, Mr. Cameron, I loved Avatar in 2009 and I’m sure I’ll love it in 2022, as well. After already waiting a decade, what’s another year’s wait for Avatar 2?
No comments:
Post a Comment