After more than a decade, 13 whole years to be precise, a sequel i.e. second installment to the first installment, Avatar: The Way of Water is finally here! A long-awaited movie that we have been waiting for ever since the director, James Cameron, stated that he wants to release three different sequels for the series after releasing this second installment i.e., a sequel to the Avatar series named Avatar 2 : The Way of Water.
The first movie, Avatar, was released in 2009 to unprecedented public reception and critical acclaim all over the world for its groundbreaking visuals in production. Based on that, our hopes for the upcoming sequel movie so far are high up there in the seventh sky as we can’t wait to see more in the upcoming three sequels, which promise to us, the audience, a total of five different movies in the Avatar franchise of movies.
The first movie was based in the mid-22nd century. We get to see that human civilization starts colonizing a greenery-filled, lush, and habitable moon planet in a gas giant land of the Alpha Centauri star system named Pandora with the motive of mining a valuable mineral exclusive to the planet of Pandora called unobtanium.
Inevitably, they end up crossing paths with the native dwellers of Pandora, the Na’Vi tribe, which ends up in a not-so-friendly interaction. The human civilization interacts with Pandora territory using the help of a genetically engineered Na’Vi body that operates from the brain.
Now, the second installment, aka sequel to the first Avatar: The Way of Water movie, is going to be exploring the vast water bodies and underwater aquatic life of the planet Pandora. It will also portray the struggles of Jake and Neytiri’s family as they battle with ancient threats and overcome it all together with the other people of the Na’Vi tribe, making it a sort of generator family saga.
Avatar 2 : The Way of Water – Release Date
Release Date: December 16, 2022
Premier Date: December 6, 2022
Premier Venue: Odeon Luxe Leicester Square, London
Running Time in Total: 192 Minutes, i.e. 3 Hours and 12 Minutes
Teaser Trailer:
Official Trailer:
Second Trailer:
The film’s theatrical release date has been a subject of reported delays in the past few days up until now. The first publicly announced release date of the movie was the 23rd of July in 2022. But it was moved and tallied again and again until it came to its final and decided release date, 16th of December in the present year, 2022.
The three further upcoming sequels in the generation family saga of the Avatar movie series are set to be released unequivocally, as mentioned by the director James Cameron, in 2024, 2026, and 2028 respectively. But it is also said that the latter two’s releases, i.e, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5’s release, might depend on the critical and public reception of the sequel, i.e, the second installment to the Avatar franchise, Avatar: The Way of Water.
Though in the face of the proposed acquisition of 20th Century Fox Studios by The Walt Disney Company, in January 2019, it was revealed by Disney CEO Bob Iger that the rest of the sequels are being developed. Even though Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 are being developed, they have been officially greenlit, and reportedly a third of Avatar 4 has already been finished.
The movie is going to be released in Dolby Cinema, RealD 3D, IMAX, and IMAX 3D formats for viewing theatrically. After estimating the film’s near record-breaking budget, it is said by the director, James Cameron himself, that the movie has to gross a minimum of $2 Billion to break even with its unprecedented budget for production.
How to watch Avatar 2 : The Way of Water movie online?
It is common knowledge that 20th Century Studios is now a company bought by Disney. But due to a previous contract already signed with HBO before Disney bought 20th Century Studios, a little complication might follow the streaming public release of the widely anticipated movie, Avatar : The Way of Water.
But since the contract ends in 2022, we hope that there will be no hiccups to the anticipated sequel before we can stream the movie online. So we can gauge that, along with the movie being released for streaming on Disney Plus after its exclusive theatrical run, it’ll also get some streaming time on HBO and its sister companies.
As to when the movie will be available for streaming on Disney Plus, we can say that Avatar 2 : The Way of Water will be approximately available for streaming 45 days after its theatrical release date. So we can expect to be able to stream the movie in the early days of February in 2023.
But it is most likely that the post-covid set theatrical window time of 45 days will be extended because the movie is sure to be a box office masterpiece and record breaker. Disney would like to maximize the period of box office theatrical run for added public reception, which, unfortunately, makes it more likely that the film will not be available for streaming on the Disney Plus library till March 2023.
The Disney Plus library updates daily at 3:00 AM Eastern Time. But most of its biggest stream releases are made on Friday, upon which the Disney Plus homepage updates about an hour later of the release, but email subscription notifications are set to be sent out within minutes.
How to watch Avatar 2 : The Way of Water movie on Disney Plus?
Here’s how you can watch Avatar 2 : The Way of Water on the Disney Plus platform:
Step 1:
You need to either get on the Disney Plus website or download the software application on your device. There is a list of supported devices that the application is compatible with so make sure to check that out.
Step 2:
You need to choose a plan from the available subscription plans that Disney Plus provides. Their subscription costs are $7.99/month for ad-supported streaming, $10.99/month, and $109.99/year for ad-free streaming.
Step 3:
Purchase your desired plan and create your account through which you’ll login to access the service.
Step 4:
Log in with your account details, and you’re good to go. You can start streaming other movies in the meantime while you wait for Avatar: The Way of Water to be available for streaming on the platform.
Avatar 2 : The Way of Water Cast
The cast lineup for the roles of Avatar 2 : The Way of Water is as follows:
- Sam Worthington as Jake Sully, a former human who switched sides and permanently became a member of the Na’Vi tribe, leaving his human body behind because he fell in love with the Na’Vi princess, Neytiri.
- Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, daughter of the previous clan chief, future Tsahík of their clan, and Jake’s partner.
- Sigourney Weaver as Kiri, the adoptive teenage daughter of Jake and Neytiri.
- Stephen Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch, who was a former human leader of the forces of RDA.
- Jamie Flatters as Neteyam, Jake and Neytiri’s first-born son and oldest child.
- Britain Dalton as Lo’ak, Jake and Neytiri’s second-born son and middle child.
- Chloe Coleman as Young Lo’ak.
- Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as Tuktirey (Tuk), Jake and Neytiri’s eight-year-old daughter and youngest child.
- CCH Pounder as Mo’at, Neytiri’s mother and the Omaticaya’s spiritual leader.
- Kate Winslet as Ronal, a free-diving member of Metyakini and also Tonowari’s wife.
- Cliff Curtis is Tonowari, leader of the Metyakini clan.
- Bailey Bass is Tsireya (Reya), Tonowari’s daughter, who is a strong diver of the Metyakini clan.
- Filip Geljo is Aonung, Tonowari’s son, who is a young hunter and strong diver of the Metyakini clan.
- Duane Evans Jr. as Rotxo, a young male hunter and free diver of the Metyakini clan.
- Matt Gerald as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, a mercenary under the RDA forces.
- CJ Jones as a mysterious Metyakini interpreter
- Alicia Vela-Bailey as Zdinarsk, a member of the 1st Recom Squadron and a Recombinant.
- Jack Champion is Miles “Spider” Socorro, a teenager rescued and adopted by Jake and Neytiri from Hell’s Gate.
- Joel David Moore as Dr. Norm Spellman, an ally of the Na’Vi’s.
- Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge, former corporate administrator of the unobtanium mining operation.
- Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel, a scientist who worked for the Avatar, i.e., Pandora colonization program.
- Edie Falco as General Frances Ardmore, commander in charge of the RDA forces.
- Brendan Cowell as Captain Mick Scoresby, the head of the private sector for marine hunting vessels on the planet of Pandora.
- Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin, a marine biologist.
While the old main cast of Avatar is obviously returning, there are also a lot of new faces that are joining the movie’s cast for the second installment. The full casting team had to learn free diving as the movie is set in an underwater world.
Sigourney Weaver, who previously played Dr. Grace Austine, a human who was involved in the genetically engineered Na’Vi body scheme, joined the war siding with the Na’Vi and died during the conflict, is now returning to the cast as a new character. Her new character is Kiri, Jake and Neytiri’s adopted teenage daughter. She is one of the main roles in the movie as she is a part of the main portrayed family.
Kate Winslet, who is present in the movie, portrays the character of Ronal, who is a free diver of the Metyakini, and Tonowari’s wife, who is the leader of the people of the Metyakini clan. Her role in the movie marks her first time doing underwater motion filming with the use of motion capture and performance capture altogether.
She even went on to set a new world record for the longest time someone has held their breath underwater while filming a scene. She held her breath for 7 minutes and surprised everyone on the team.
Avatar 2 : The Way of Water Budget and Production
Avatar 2 : The Way of Water is an epic science fiction but generational family saga genre of the film directed by James Cameron, who also directed the prequel, Avatar. The film is produced in partnership with Jon Landau and the director, James Cameron himself.
The screenplay was written by the director himself, along with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. The movie series is based on a story written by the three of them with Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno.
Because the film was known for its groundbreaking visuals, the movie production had to be delayed due to the necessity of having to develop new filming technology. The technology was used for capturing performance in underwater scenes, which is a never been done before feat in the Hollywood film industry or any film industry as a matter of fact.
The movie’s budget, as revealed by the crew and the director, James Cameron himself, is an estimated amount of $350 to $450 million. But that’s no surprise factor as it was revealed in July 2022 that the film received a whopping $161 million in New Zealand currency from the New Zealand Film Commission of public funding through the country’s Screen Production Grant for its production and scenes shot in New Zealand.
This unprecedented budget for the movie makes the film one of the most expensive film productions of all time. And that doesn’t even include the new technology development they had to go through for shooting the special motion capture and performance capture scenes for the film!
The preliminary virtual i.e live, action underwater, and on-land shooting for the movie began on August 15, 2017, in Manhattan Beach, California. The visual effects shooting for the movie’s scenes continued side by side at Weta Digital in Wellington to keep up a steady pace for the production of the movie.
The principal photography began on September 25, 2017, alongside production for Avatar 3. Filming ended altogether for both of the movies in late September 2020 after over 3 years of shooting for the films.
The Storyline of Avatar 2 : The Way of Water
In the sequel to the first movie, Avatar, Jake and Neytiri have created their own family. The movie follows their journey in Pandora as they try their best to stay together.
But due to inevitable circumstances, they are forced to abandon their home and explore the regions of the Planet Pandora. And amongst all of that, a past threat resurfaces and begins haunting them, which is the RDA forces consisting of the greedy human civilization who want to take over Pandora to harvest the valuable mineral exclusive to the planet if Pandora named unobtanium.
In the movie, we get to see Jake and Neytiri, along with their children Kiri (adoptive daughter), Neteyam, Lo’ak, and Tuktirey, who struggle as a family and overcome tragedies that strike the beautiful planet of Pandora. We see them fighting numerous battles to protect their territory and strive to exist in peace.
We will get to see how they coexist with their children and protect them from any harm. We’ll maybe get to see the Na’Vi tribe led by Jake and Neytiri join forces with the water clan of free divers, Metyakini.
This sequel also introduces us to a completely new element in the regions of Pandora, the aquatic life underwater. In the first movie, we only get to see Jake explore and learn to tame the aerial animals and lush forest while being in love with the princess of the Na’Vi tribe, Neytiri.
But in this movie, we’ll get to see the aquatic habitat of Pandora pioneered by the Metyakini clan, a tribe of free divers. The Metyakini clan, which is led by Tonowari and his wife, Ronal, seems to be the master of the vast water bodies and underwater aquatic life of the planet Pandora.
There might be an alliance with the Metyakini clan and Jake’s clan to throw off the ancient threat that resurfaces. The threat is the human civilization of RDA forces led by Colonel Miles Quaritch, which they might destroy once and for all to protect their planet.
Avatar 2 : The Way of Water Marketing
The first glimpse and official new title announcement of the sequel, Avatar 2 : The Way of Water, was made at the 2022 Cinemacon. It debuted at the event with four first-look images from the movie featuring the Na’Vi people and the coasts of Pandora.
The teaser trailer for the movie was theatrically showcased during the theatrical premiere of Doctor Strange: The Multiverse of Madness and then released online on the 9th of May, 2022. The teaser trailer garnered a worldwide viewing of 148.6 million within a window of 24 hours i.e., a day from its release.
The official trailer for the movie was released on the 2nd of November in 2022, at Good Morning America and online for worldwide viewing. New brand posters and character posters were released on the 21st of November in 2022, along with its second and last trailer.
An exclusive 8 minutes of the film’s footage was showcased at the D23 Expo on the 10th of September in 2022. A series of action figurines based on the characters and creatures of the Avatar franchise was produced by McFarlane Toys and was unveiled during the D23 Expo.
The series of action figurines made by McFarlane toys were released officially for purchase on the 1st of October in 2022. The second screening of the film’s footage was released theatrically during the re-run of the first film, Avatar as a special post-credit scene and promotion for the sequel.
Afterward, an 18-minute long footage from the film was released and showcased exclusively on the 2nd of December at the CCXP Convention for the audience present there. The movie was then premiered before its official and final release on the 6th of December in 2022 at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London.
As for the music we can expect from the movie, there are a few additions along with the original musical soundtrack from the first movie, Avatar. The original music themes produced by Franglen will be reused.
It is also said that James Horner’s musical score for the movie has now been replenished by Franglen and is going to be released. Horner’s musical score was somewhat unfinished due to his unexpected death in a plane crash in June 2015.
The soundtrack album is set to be released a day before the movie’s release, that is, on the 15th of December by Hollywood Records. As for the new musical soundtracks that have been added, the said artists are Franglen, Zoe Saldana, and The Weeknd.
It was reported in November that an original soundtrack would be released featuring Franglen and Zoe Saldana by the name of “Song Chord”. It was also later revealed in the following month that the renowned Canadian singer, The Weeknd, has contributed a soundtrack to the movie by the name of “Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” produced by Franglen along with the Swedish music production supergroup, Swedish House Mafia.
Teaser snippet for The Weeknd’s song, “Nothing is Lost (You Give Me Strength)”:
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q. Is Avatar 2 : The Way of Water Real?
Ans:- No, Avatar: The Way of Water is not real; it is an epic science fiction film directed by James Cameron based on a science fantasy.
Q. How long is Avatar: The Way of Water going to be?
Ans:- Avatar: The Way of Water is going to be 192 minutes i.e., 3 hours and 12 long.
Q. Is Avatar: The Way of Water coming to Disney Plus?
Ans:- Yes, Avatar: The Way of Water will be coming to Disney Plus in 2023.
Q. How many movies will there be in the Avatar series?
Ans:- Including Avatar: The Way of Water, there will be four forthcoming movies in the series.
Q. Who owns Avatar now?
Ans:- The Walt Disney Company owns Avatar now because it has bought 20th Century Fox Studios, which was the primary owner of the Avatar franchise.
Q. Who is the villain in Avatar 2 : The Way of Water?
Ans:- The villain in Avatar: The Way of Water is Colonel Miles Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang, who is the former (and present) brutal leader of the RDA forces.
Q. Who is the God in Avatar?
Ans:- Eywa, which stands for All-Mother or Great Mother, is considered as the God of the Planet Pandora and the Na’Vi tribe.
Q. Is Neytiri pregnant in Avatar 2 : The Way of Water?
Ans:- It is likely that Neytiri might be pregnant again during the course of the film. But in the beginning, we only see a flashback of Neytiri’s past pregnancy.
Q. Why can Humans not breathe the air in Avatar?
Ans:- Because of the high concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the planet of Pandora, it is very toxic for humans which makes them unable to breathe air in Pandora.
Q. Is Avatar 2 : The Way of Water rated PG-13?
Ans:- Yes, Avatar 2 : The Way of Water is rated PG-13.
Conclusion
So far, we can say that Avatar 2 : The Way of Water will absolutely make history as the most awaited epic science fiction film release of all time. After more than a decade of waiting, fans are quivering with excitement to find out the fate of their favorite science fiction universe.
The movie has an added twist of a generational family saga, which is comparable to The Godfather franchise, as quoted by the director, James Cameron himself, in regards to the movie’s writing. It is also said that the movie does not end on a cliffhanger and will give us a full in-depth view of the natural habitat of the planet Pandora.
This sequel is surely going to be a major game changer in the science fiction genre of the Hollywood film industry because of the sheer amount of new technology developed and used by the crew for the motion capture and performance capture scenes to the film. With that and the three upcoming planned sequels, it is sure to be a promising feat in the science fiction genre, a landmark if we do say so.
The roles played by the returning actors and actresses provide a new level of depth as we get to see their character development and journey to growth. Their dedication was brought to life with a new cast member, Kate Winslet, setting a new world record for holding her breath for 7 minutes for her underwater film scene.
This movie can be said to just be the beginning of a wild roller coaster ride because if the sequel is garnering such amazing reception from critics and the public even before release, we can’t even begin to think what will happen after its release and the further three sequels to come just add even more to the generational family saga we are set to experience. So, do not forget to mark your calendars and get your theater tickets on time to watch the widely anticipated movie, Avatar 2 : The Way of Water on December 16, 2022, at your local cinema hall.
