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Tag: Avatar 2

  • ‘Avatar 3’ Will See the Return of Payakan and His Nemesis from ‘The Way of Water’

    ‘Avatar 3’ Will See the Return of Payakan and His Nemesis from ‘The Way of Water’

    Avatar: The Way of Water introduced the world to some amazing new characters that continue to expand the world of Pandora. Yet, with hints at the story of the third entry pushing the Sully family to further explore what else is out there, it seemed like perhaps we won’t spend too much time with some familiar characters especially those attached to the water in The Way of Water.

    As it turns out, we’ll definitely see the return of two rather interesting characters. As pointed out by producer Jon Landau, the whale-like being known as Payakan will return, but “not just as a creature.” He goes on to highlight that they’ll “explore his relationship with Lo’ak.” So, it seems we’ll get to further explore his race and uncover something we may have not expected.

    The biggest surprise however is that Scoresby (Brendan Cowell) is also set to make a return. It’s interesting how villains simply don’t just stay down in this franchise. The arch-nemesis of Payakan lost his arm in the finale and was sent flying. For now, there’s no word though if he survived or we might even see the same memory transplant into an Avatar.

    Either way, it looks like the two will meet up once again for a fight that might see them fight each other in a new way. There’s definitely something interesting about how James Cameron tends to bring back characters from past iterations and continues to build them up. By the end of Avatar 5, we might have an army of former villains teaming up against the Sully family.

    Source: Empire

  • The Cast of ‘Avatar’ on What They Love About the Films

    The Cast of ‘Avatar’ on What They Love About the Films

    Back in 2009, when Avatar flew into theaters, no one expected the James Cameron flick to become the megahit it would go on to be. Now, thirteen years later, the cast is readying for the release of the film’s long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of the Water. Before the sequel hits theaters in December, however, Avatar will return to theaters for two weeks to allow new fans to experience the film on the big screen in 4K High Dynamic Range.

    To promote the upcoming re-release, Cameron gathered alongside the cast for a virtual press conference to discuss the franchise — both past and future. While the writer and director had plenty to say regarding how Avatar impacted blockbusters, the cast got a chance to talk about the films as a whole and why they enjoyed working on them.

    According to actor Stephen Lang, he is just grateful to have been a part of such a talented group of people. “I think I’m proud to be just part of a team of such talented, creative, generous people,” he explained. “And I think over the years that we’ve been together and apart and together, we’ve been able to kinda maintain a collegial and a forward kind of feeling amongst us. And that kind of, you know, spirit. That kind of team spirit I guess is something that I feel so pleased and gratified to be part of. And I’m just proud to be on the team.”

    While Michelle Rodriguez, who is also busy starring in the Fast & Furious franchise, it all comes down to the effort put into the storytelling. The actress feels that Cameron has put so much “mind and attention” into the storytelling, which she doesn’t feel is as valued by society these days. “I feel like Jim’s decision to tell this story is a decision also to show love and respect for life. And I feel like that’s rare,” she explained. “And I’m proudest of just being a part of that. Because I feel like it’s not done enough, you know? And for it to be as impactful as it was says a lot.”

    Sigourney Weaver, who has a long history of working with Cameron, noted she loves the character she gets to play most of all. She notes that Cameron is a bit of a scientist himself, which helped him create the character of Dr. Augustine. “I guess I’m proud that I got to play Dr. Augustine who is a scientist.  A woman scientist.  And Jim had given the world, the audience, and certainly my character this whole universe of a new flora and fauna, taking it so seriously… And so I was so proud to be part of the science of this so that you’re not dumbing down something for the mass audience.”

    Last but not least was Zoe Saldaña, who explained her excitement over belonging to a group she has much in common with and feeling as though she belongs. She also explained getting to work with Cameron has been a great experience because he’s “not an elitist,” but more of a “curious” person. “I got an opportunity to belong to a group of people that, you know, that I just, I feel I have so much in common with… You know, like jigsaw that you’re searching to belong,” she explained. “And you meet the ultimate curious person who’s Jim, and he extends, he shares, he’s curious. He’s not an elitist. And I just, you know, you get to be an artist.  I was given an opportunity, and I honestly feel that I ran with it. And then to be able to come back to that opportunity, it feels like it’s the gift that continues to give.”

    Avatar will be temporarily removed from Disney+ ahead of its re-release in theaters. The re-release will be for two weeks only beginning on Sept. 23rd and will see the film available in stunning 4K High Dynamic Range. Written and directed by Cameron, Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver. The film was produced by Cameron and Jon Landau. The long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of the Water, will finally be released in theaters this December, just in time for the holidays.

  • James Cameron on How ‘Avatar’ Impacted Blockbusters

    James Cameron on How ‘Avatar’ Impacted Blockbusters

    When Avatar first hit theaters in 2009, no one could have imagined how big the film would become. Avatar would go on to set the record for the highest-grossing film of all time, passed Titanic‘s gross in a little over a month, and set records for how quickly it hit $500 million and above. To date, Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie of all time with $2.8 billion worldwide. Now, ahead of the long-awaited sequel’s release in December, Disney’s 20th Century Studios is set to re-release Avatar for a limited two-week engagement, allowing fans to see the movie in a brand new light.

    To promote the upcoming re-release, writer and director James Cameron was on hand for a virtual press conference, where he recalled Avatar‘s impact on Hollywood. While Avatar was certainly not the first film to use highly advanced computer effects, Avatar did help Hollywood and audiences embrace 3D – at least for a brief moment in time. Although plenty of films failed to successfully make use of 3D technology, Avatar had been shot with a 3D digital camera and went on to earn best cinematography at the 82nd Academy Awards.

    I think that there was a…  I would say that the 3D was embraced in general for a period of time.  I mean, Avatar won best cinematography with a 3D digital camera.  No digital camera had ever won the best cinematography Oscar before.  And then two out of the three subsequent years, the same cameras were used by the cinematographers that won the Oscars.  So you’ve got three out of four years where digital cinematography was embraced by the Academy. And all three-all three of those films, three out of four, Oscar winners for four years, were in 3D.  So, and then 3D has sort of, appears to most people to sort of be over.  But it’s really not over.  It’s just been accepted.  It’s just now part of the choices that you face when you go to a theater to see a big blockbuster movie.  So you could choose to see it in 2D, choose to see it in 3D, generally speaking these days.  So I liken it to color.

    Cameron

    Cameron goes on to compare the use of 3D to when color was first introduced in movies. While some might’ve attempted the technology prior to Avatar, there is no denying 3D films became popular following the release of Avatar in 3D. Cameron, of course, acknowledges that the 3D format has seemingly died down, but with the release of Avatar: The Way of the Water this December, perhaps that could change yet again.

    When color first came out, it was a big deal.  People used to go see movies because they were in color.  You know, and I think around the time of Avatar, people went to see movies because they were in 3D.  Nobody’s gonna go see a movie today because it’s in 3D.  It’s all the other factors by which we choose a film.  So I think, you know, it had an impact on the way films were presented that’s now just sort of accepted and part of the zeitgeist and how it’s done.  Terms of long-term cultural impact, well, I guess we’ll find out if people show up for Avatar 2.

    Cameron

    Avatar will be temporarily removed from Disney+ ahead of its re-release in theaters. The re-release will be for two weeks only beginning on Sept. 23rd and will see the film available in stunning 4K High Dynamic Range. Written and directed by Cameron, Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver. The film was produced by Cameron and Jon Landau. The long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of the Water, will finally be released in theaters this December, just in time for the holidays.

  • James Cameron on the Decision to Re-Release ‘Avatar’

    James Cameron on the Decision to Re-Release ‘Avatar’

    After numerous setbacks, Avatar‘s long-awaited sequel, The Way of the Water, is finally set to hit theaters this December. However, before The Way of the Water finally hits the big screen, Avatar is set to return for a limited run in 3D. While this won’t be the first time Avatar has been re-released into theaters, there’s a good reason behind this re-release. During a virtual press conference to promote the re-release, writer and director James Cameron explained why they’ve decided to release the film again.

    Well, look, I mean, it’s been, you know, 12 years since the release, and so basically if you’re kind of under 22 or 23 years of age, it’s very, very unlikely that you’ve seen the film in a movie theater.  Which in a way kinda means you haven’t seen the film.  I mean, we authored the film for the big screen, for the giant screen, in 3D.  And now we’ve remastered it in 4K, in high-dynamic range and some 48-frame-per-second sections in the film.

    James Cameron

    Released in 2009, Avatar has gone on to become one of the most successful films of all time. The film focused on a paraplegic Marine who is sent to the moon Pandora on a mission but soon finds himself feeling torn between his orders and protecting the place he believes to be his true home. Avatar managed to amass an astounding haul of $2.743 billion at the worldwide box office. $749.7 million of that came from the states, while the other $1.993 million came from international markets. The film remains the highest-grossing movie of all time.

    Avatar will be temporarily removed from Disney+ ahead of its re-release in theaters. The re-release will be for two weeks only beginning on Sept. 23rd and will see the film available in stunning 4K High Dynamic Range. Written and directed by Cameron, Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver. The film was produced by Cameron and Jon Landau. The long-awaited sequel, Avatar: The Way of the Water, will finally be released in theaters this December, just in time for the holidays.

  • CinemaCon: Every ‘Avatar’ Sequel to Act as a Standalone Film

    CinemaCon: Every ‘Avatar’ Sequel to Act as a Standalone Film

    It looks like Disney is ending their CinemaCon panel with a grand showcase of the future of the Avatar franchise. Given that the film has clung to the top spot for a long-time, there’s a lot of hope for Disney to bank on that success. So, it seems that they are kick-starting the upcoming release of Avatar 2 with a re-release of the original in September. Yet, the big reveal during the event is that the three Avatar sequels being filmed back-to-back are currently planned as standalone films with some connections. There’s no detail on what that might look like, but they may try to simply explore the changes of Pandora throughout many generations.

    The first film is going to focus more the world beneath the waves of Pandora. So, it opens up many new opportunities to see just how vast the planet is and what it has to offer. We don’t know if we’ll continue to focus on humanoid characters or the local Na’vi, who are teased as part of concept art.

    Of course, they could also build upon the set-up of the first film yet with how long it took for this new film to hit theaters, they might want to use it as a time skip. Perhaps we get to see different Na’vi and their living arrangements that act as a contrast to what we saw in the 2009 original. For now, it’s just speculation until we actually get a tease of what the fil has to offer.

    Source: Twitter

  • James Cameron Offers Updates and First Look at ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    James Cameron Offers Updates and First Look at ‘Avatar’ Sequels

    We’ve been long waiting for an update on 2009’s Avatar film. No, not The Last Airbender but James Cameron‘s science fiction space opera that he was working on for many years. It’s been over ten years and the ambitious director teased that he’s not only working on one but four sequels of the original. The brand is now under the Disney umbrella after they purchased 20th Century Fox. After a long bout of silence, Cameron has finally opened up on the sequel and even offered some insight into the upcoming projects.

    It sounds kind of nuts, the process. I mean, if Avatar hadn’t made so much damn money, we’d never do this — because it’s kind of crazy

    James Cameron

    While we still don’t have an official title, the story of the first sequel will take place 14 years after the original. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), in his new homegrown Na’vi body, has settled down with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and has started a family. The film this time around will be less bout them but their children. Producer Jon Landau shared that family will be at the heart of these sequels moving forward:

    AVATAR 2

    Ultimately, the sequels are a story about family, and the lengths parents will go through to keep that family together and keep them safe. I always say that Jim’s movies have universal themes — and really, there’s no more universal theme than family

    Jim Landau

    The long-held rumors are true as the first two entries will focus on the ocean and introduce a clan of reef-dwelling Na’vi, who goes by the name Metkayina. The Titanic director is well known for his work in ocean conservation. So, he wanted to combine his love of filmmaking and exploring the ocean into one project. The reason production took so long was that their performance-capture technology wouldn’t work underwater, which they had to adapt.

    AVATAR 2

    Production has wrapped on the first two entries of the franchise with Avatar 3 heading for a 2024 release. The reasoning it’s still planned to release this late is due to the focus on giving Weta enough time to bring the effects to life. The last two entires won’t release until 2026 and 2028 respectively.

    What we are doing now, from a story standpoint and a world standpoint, is on a much larger scale. That’s both exciting and challenging. We are putting much more detail, first and foremost, into the performances of the cast, but we’re [also] putting much more detail and diversity into the world that we are creating.

    Jim Landau

    Cameron has shared his fear that the films may not make the money he hopes they will, especially with how much money they’ll cost to make. Yet, 20th Century Fox and subsequently Disney have put a lot of trust into the director to bring four high-budget sequels together. Avatar was surpassed by Avengers: Endgame as the highest-earning film of all time only to take it back with a China re-release. It’ll be interesting to see if the wait was well worth it for everyone involved.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly