Why Did Fans Have to Wait over a Decade for ‘Avatar 2’?

It has been 13 years since the release of the first installment of James Cameron’s “Avatar,” and ever since the news that there would be a sequel went mainstream, fans have been waiting for its release. Why has it taken so long?

On May 9, fans of James Cameron’s “Avatar,” who had been waiting for about 13 years, finally received an update on the sequel when the trailer and the date it will hit cinemas were revealed. It is officially titled “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

The trailer was a perfect appetizer for what was to come, and it was very clear that a lot of work was put into the movie; however, is the quality the real reason fans had to wait more than a decade? Keep reading to find out what Cameron had to say.

Producer Jon Landau speaking about “Avatar The Way of Water” at CinemaCon 2022 on April 27, 2022 | Source: Getty Images

WHY DID AVATAR 2 TAKE SO LONG?

Director James Cameron may not be everyone’s favorite right now, but he was able to appease his fans at CinemaCon when he gave them a taste of “Avatar 2” visuals, but what many really wished to know was why it is taking so long.

One of those reasons is that there were a lot of delays, among which was Cameron’s determination to possess the right equipment that would facilitate motion capture underwater; however, the talented filmmaker has declared that the 13-year-long wait will be worth it and that fans can expect three more installments that will premiere in 2024, 2026, and 2028 respectively. 

Initially, two of the sequels should have been released in 2014 and 2015; however, producer Jon Landau revealed in 2012 that they would be pushed back because of production concerns.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT IN AVATAR 2?

The second installment in the “Avatar’ series will reportedly start running in Cinemas on December 22, 2022. The film was shot in New Zealand, where it will also premiere as per the agreement with the government. 

The trailer was short footage that contained nearly no dialogue and saw viewers introduced to different places in the Avatar world known as Pandora. It showed the local tribe interacting with many kinds of animal species which were quite detailed.

In a pre-recorded video, Cameron told the few who got to watch the trailer via 3D glasses that the upcoming sequel was filmed with the “biggest screens” in mind, after which he added that he had “set out to test the limits of what cinema can do” when they started filming.

Fans were pleased to meet Spider, Jake and Neytiri’s human son, who was born too small to return to earth and so was being brought up by the couple in the bioluminescent jungle of Pandora. His character is played by Jack Champion and is one of the people the storyline is based on.

Worthington and Zoe Saldana will reprise their roles as Jake and Neytiri. There are also some old characters, like Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch) and Sigourney Weaver (Grace Augustine), who had both previously been killed off, that are scheduled to make a return; however, fans have no idea how they’ll fit into the general plot.

Little is known about the plot, but Cameron has confirmed that the humans will remain the antagonists, but the film will be focused on the oceans and rainforests of Pandora.

STAR’S INSIGHT ABOUT AVATAR 2 AFTER SEEING 20 MINUTES OF NEW MOVIE

Zoe Saldana revealed in March that she was able to see 20 minutes of the sequel, and she declared that it moved her to tears because Cameron had successfully cracked the myth of underwater performance-capture technology by successfully completing the filming.

It made fans who saw her review beg to know when it would get released, but until now, they were left in the dark. What an exciting time to be alive!

Anomama