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, has had its world premiere in London.
Its much-delayed release comes 13 years after the original sci-fi film, which was released in 2009.
Director James Cameron was joined on the Leicester Square blue carpet 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 a central theme over the setting, as it is more “universal and relatable”.
“It was such a joy to be a part of this family, we were at each other’s throats at times, Jim [Cameron] wanted that … for us to get closer, we still have fun and it’s very much a real family. she said.
Here are some pictures 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, is cast in Avatar: The Last Airbender
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, plans three more sequels after this one
Actress Sigourney Weaver was also among the stars spotted at the film’s world premiere in London’s Leicester Square.
Actress Bailey Bass has joined the cast to play Tsireya, a young Na’vi from the Metkayina clan.
Other stars spotted on the blue carpet included Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am
Star Wars actor John Boyega was also among the famous faces
Model Jourdan Dunn was also spotted posing for photographers ahead of the film’s premiere
Here are the answers to some burning questions earthlings may have about Avatar: The Path of Water.
What’s the story?
Image source: 20th Century Studios
The character 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 indigenous population to fight an attempt by humans to destroy their home for a precious mineral.
The water path is established many years later. Jake now has a family with Neytiri (Saldaña), and continues his new life on Pandora.
When was it originally supposed to be released?
When was it originally due to be released?
In 2010, a year after the original Avatar, 20th Century Fox (as the company was then called, before it was sold to Disney) said that there would be two sequels and that the first of them would be released in December 2014
This goal turned out to be somewhat ambitious. And for the next few years, a common Hollywood story was that the release date had been pushed back again.
December 2014 became December 2016. Which became December 2017. Which became December 2018. You get the idea. Anyway, it’s finally coming out next week, Friday, December 16, 2022.
Why has it taken so long?
Image source: 20th Century Studios
Much of the film takes place in the oceans of the planet Pandora
Cameron pitched a version of an Avatar sequel that, after writing it, he decided he didn’t deliver.
The Canadian filmmaker also has a life outside of film, and has spent some time exploring the ocean depths (though perhaps that counts as research for the new film, much of which takes place in and under the ‘water).
Cameron also wanted to plot four sequels. And to take full advantage of new filming developments in the world of motion capture and CGI.
How long is it?
Well, it’s not Cameron’s longest film. That honor goes to the Titanic, which clocks in at 3 hours and 15 minutes.
But Avatar: The Path of Water isn’t far behind. Avatar 2, as it could be called otherwise, has a running time of approximately 3 hours and 12 minutes.
A little less if you dive in at the beginning of the long end credits!
Who’s in it?
L-R: Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, James Cameron, Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington at the London premiere
The protagonists of the original epic, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña, are back.
So does 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, along with Oscar winner Kate Winslet.
What have the cast said?
Speaking about the sequel’s story 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 it together, protect it.”
Director James Cameron said that his own dreams inspired the film’s dreamscapes
Later in the night, Cameron confirmed to The One Show that he found inspiration in his dreams. “I just think dreams are my own private streaming service that runs every night 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 sometimes I write it. With some of the stuff for Avatar when I was in college, I got up and did it . paintings … so this has been going on for a while.”
He added: “I’ve always had dreams of being underwater with amazing animals swimming and that sort of thing, so it’s just working through all these subconscious images.”
How much money did the original make?
How much money did the original make?
It has made a total of $2.92 billion (£2.39 billion) at the worldwide box office and is the biggest film of all time (not adjusted for inflation).
He briefly lost his title to Avengers: Endgame in 2019, but regained it after Avatar relaunched.
Image source: 20th Century Studios
The original Avatar movie is the greatest movie of all time
Will I need 3D glasses to watch it?
Will I need 3D glasses to see it?
The film is released in various formats. Includes 3D, 2D and Imax. So no one is forcing you to watch it in 3D if you don’t want to.
But the received wisdom is that a big part of the appeal of the original was its incredibly immersive 3D sequences.
How many more sequels are planned?
How many more sequels are planned?
A total of four sequels are currently planned, including this one.
Avatar 2 comes out next week, of course, while Avatar 3 has already been shot and is due for release in 2024.
Avatar 4 has been partially shot ahead of the planned 2026 release. And Avatar 5 has a finished script. If it’s done, and there’s a question mark about it, it’s coming out in 2028.
The uncertainty is due to the cost of the films. The Way of Water had a budget of over $350 million (£287 million), which means it needs to be a big box office hit to make its money back.
If it’s a relative failure, it’s hard to see Disney shelling out hundreds of millions more to end a series in which they believe the viewing public may have lost interest.
Image source: 20th Century Studios
Kate Winslet plays a character named Ronal
Do the sequels have names yet?
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 water path was finally confirmed in April this year. Only James Cameron knows if he will keep the other titles.
What are the chances of The Way of Water at the Oscars?
What are The Way of Water’s chances at the Oscars?
The original was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture, losing to The Hurt Locker.
His wins include Best Production Design and Best Visual Effects. Many hope that a similar screening will be possible at the 2023 Academy Awards.
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