Timothy Glaraton
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may have been what got people out to the theaters this past weekend, but for film aficionados, the real sauce came before the Marvel logo even ran across the silver screen. Accompanying the film was the long-awaited, highly anticipated trailer for none other than Avatar: The Way of Water, the first of four—I repeat four—planned sequels to Avatar, James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster Pocahontas and Dances With Wolves homage/tech demo.
So what can we glean from this initial teaser? Well, it certainly looks like Avatar, but—wait for it—with water. One of the many reasons cited for the thirteen-year period between the original Avatar and The Way of Water was James Cameron’s wish to use motion capture underwater when that previously wasn’t possible, so the shots of the Na’vi swimming and riding underwater creatures are rightfully given prominence throughout the teaser.
There’s not much in the way of plot in this initial teaser, and the general vibe is much more “hey look at how cool all of this looks!” But let’s be honest, the main draw of Avatar was always its alien world—one that you can now at least temporarily visit at Disney’s Animal Kingdom—so not getting too many plot details doesn’t really weigh down the previously mentioned “look at the pretty alien planet” vibe. We also get a few shots of humans, who appear to still be quite active on Pandora. In all likelihood, they’re still in search of that precious unobtanium, the rare element from the first film that proved to be as valuable as it was unobtainable—and in all likelihood will once again come into conflict with the native Na’vi.
Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana headline the cast, returning as Jake and Neytiri from the original film. The Way of Water takes place more than a decade after the original Avatar, and Jake has not only fully embraced life as a Na’vi, but he and Neytiri have had kids—including an adopted human son known as Spider, who was born on the planet but wound up being taken in by Jake when he was unable to return to Earth. Why is he known as Spider? That remains a mystery until the film makes it to theaters.
Another one of those mysteries? The return of Stephen Lang as Col. Miles Quaritch—the villain of the first Avatar—given that he died near the end of that film. It sounds like Quaritch is slated to be a part of the next three films, so it looks like a miraculous revival is in store for the character—although if The Way of Water were to miraculously revive anything I hope it’s Sam Worthington’s career, given that I think he’s a better actor than people give him credit for.
Also making a return is Sigourney Weaver, who played another character who died during the events of Avatar but is somehow returning for the sequels—but come on, are you really not going to find a way to bring Sigourney Weaver back if she wants to return to a role? New additions to the cast include Kate Winslet, known for her role in James Cameron’s original money printing venture Titanic—fingers crossed she’s a Na’vi from one of the more water-dwelling tribes who wants to be drawn like one of Jake’s human girls—and Vin Diesel—a perfect fit, given that the film’s trailer hints that there will be an emphasis on the idea of family.
Avatar: The Way of Water is aiming to finally splash into theaters on December 16th, but that’s not all: a remastered version of the original Avatar is slated for a theatrical re-release on September 23rd, just in case you forgot what happened in the first film, or simply can’t wait all the way until December to just turn off your brain and look at pretty CGI for two hours.
