Kate Winslet, who first worked with director James Cameron on Titanic, appears in Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water, the sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time, held its world premiere in London.
Its much-delayed launch comes 13 years after the original sci-fi film, released in 2009.
Director James Cameron was joined on the blue carpet in Leicester Square by stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Kate Winslet.
The Avatar series is set on the lush planet of Pandora where the existence of the Na’vi people is threatened.
Speaking at the premiere, Weaver said the film has “family” as its central environmental theme as it is more “universal and relatable”.
“It was a joy to be part of this family, we were at each other’s throats sometimes, Jim [Cameron] I wanted that…to get along and still have fun and really be a real family,” she said.
Here are some images from Tuesday’s world premiere in London, and you can find more information about the film below.
Actress Zoe Saldaña, who also starred in the original film, reprises her role in Avatar: The Way of the Water
Actor Sam Worthington, pictured with wife Laura, is also returning to the franchise for the Avatar sequel
Director James Cameron, pictured with his wife Suzy Amis, is planning three more sequels after this one
Actress Sigourney Weaver was also among the stars seen at the film’s world premiere in London’s Leicester Square.
Actress Bailey Bass joined the cast to play Tsireya, a young Na’vi from the Metkayina clan
Other stars seen on the blue carpet included Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am
Famous faces also included Star Wars actor John Boyega
Model Jourdan Dunn was also seen posing for photographers ahead of the film’s premiere
Here are the answers to some burning questions Earthlings may have about Avatar: The Waterway.
What is the story?
The character of Jake Sully (Worthington) seen with one of his children
The first film followed paralyzed sailor Jake Sully (played by Worthington) as he traveled to the planet Pandora, where he took on an avatar body.
He ended up joining the planet’s native population in the fight against an attempt by humans to destroy their home to obtain a valuable mineral.
The Way of the Water takes place many years later. Jake now has a family with Neytiri (Saldaña), and it follows their new life on Pandora.
When was it originally supposed to come out?
In 2010, a year after the original Avatar, 20th Century Fox (as the company was then called, before being sold to Disney) announced that there would be two sequels, and the first of them would be published in December 2014.
This goal turned out to be somewhat ambitious. And for the next few years, a regular story in Hollywood was that the release date was pushed back yet again.
December 2014 became December 2016. Which became December 2017. Which became December 2018. You get the idea. Either way, it finally releases next week, Friday, December 16, 2022.
Why did it take so long?
Much of the film takes place in the oceans of the planet Pandora
Cameron cast a version of an Avatar sequel that after writing it he decided not to deliver.
The Canadian filmmaker also has a life outside of film and has spent time exploring the depths of the ocean (although that may count as research for the new film, much of which takes place in and under the ocean). ‘water).
Cameron also wanted to plot four sequels. And to take full advantage of what’s new in filming in the worlds of motion capture and CGI.
How long does it last?
Well, it’s not Cameron’s longest film. That honor goes to the Titanic, which arrives at 3 hours 15 minutes.
But Avatar: The Way of Water isn’t too far behind. Avatar 2, as it can be called otherwise, has a duration of approximately 3 hours and 12 minutes.
A little less if you dive into the beginning of the long end credits!
Who’s in it?
LR: Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, James Cameron, Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington at the premiere in London
The stars of the original epic, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña are back.
The same goes for Sigourney Weaver who – (spoiler alert) – died in the original film.
They are joined by young newcomers Jack Champion, James Flatters and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, alongside Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet.
What did the actors say?
Speaking about the sequel storyline on Tuesday, Saldana said: “It felt like a natural progression for someone like Jake and Neytiri.
“That’s the natural path they decided to take, is to start a family and keep that family together, to protect that family.”
Director James Cameron said his own dreams inspired the film’s dreamscapes
Earlier in the evening, Cameron confirmed on The One Show that he found inspiration in his dreams. “I just think Dreams is my own private streaming service that runs nightly for free,” he joked.
“I guess I do a lot of work in my dreams and I see a lot of images, sometimes [I] get up and write it down sometimes. With some stuff for Avatar when I was in college, I jumped up and did paintings…so it’s been going on for a while.”
He added: “I’ve always dreamed of being underwater with amazing animals swimming and that kind of stuff, so it’s just kind of working on all those subconscious images.”
How much money did the original make?
It grossed a total of $2.92bn (£2.39bn) at the worldwide box office and is the biggest movie of all time (unadjusted for inflation).
He briefly lost his title to Avengers: Endgame in 2019, but regained it after the re-release of Avatar.
The original Avatar movie is the greatest movie of all time
Will I need 3D glasses to see it?
The film is released in a variety of formats. Including 3D, 2D and Imax. So no one is forcing you to see it in 3D if you don’t want to.
But the perceived wisdom is that a big part of the original’s appeal was its incredibly immersive 3D sequences.
How many more suites are planned?
Currently, a total of four sequels are planned, including this one.
Avatar 2 will be released next week, of course, while Avatar 3 has already been filmed and is due out in 2024.
Avatar 4 has been partially filmed ahead of an expected 2026 release. And Avatar 5 has a finished script. If it’s done, and there’s a question mark about it, it’ll be released in 2028.
The uncertainty is due to the cost of the films. The Way of Water had a budget of over $350m (£287m), meaning it needs to be a huge box office hit to recoup its money.
If this is a relative failure, it’s hard to see Disney putting in hundreds of millions more to complete a series they think audiences may have lost interest in.
Kate Winslet plays a character called Ronald
Do the suites still have names?
In 2018, BBC News revealed that the planned titles were The Way of Water, The Seed Bearer, The Tulkun Rider and The Quest for Eywa.
The Way of Water was finally confirmed in April of this year. Only James Cameron knows if he will stick to the other titles.
What are the chances of The Way of Water at the Oscars?
The original was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture, losing to The Hurt Locker.
Its wins included Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects. Many expect a similar presentation to be possible at the 2023 Oscars.
