All about ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’: James Cameron and his cast on returning to Pandora

The visionary filmmaker, along with actors Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña and Kate Winslet, on filming for the ‘Avatar’ sequel, breaking cinematic ground yet again, and how the storyline has progressed over the last decade

He is back – and how. 

Thirteen years after his last directorial, Avatar in 2009 – the highest grossing film in history with more than $2.8 billion in global box office – James Cameron returns with his sequel to the epic sci-fi phenomenon.

Avatar: The Way of Water will see actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña reprise their iconic roles of Jake Sully and Neytiri from the first film, now playing loving parents who have lived a peaceful life for more than a decade with the Omatikaya clan. When their utopia is suddenly threatened yet again by human forces, they are forced to travel across Pandora and flee to underwater territory that is held by the Metkayina clan, led by Ronal (Oscar winner Kate Winslet in a reunion with her Titanic director after 25 years) and Tonowari (Cliff Curtis).

Now, they must navigate life and acceptance in their new community, all the while keeping danger at bay from the ‘Sky People’ who will stop at nothing to colonise Pandora, and make it the new home for humanity as Earth is almost inhabitable.

Along with other returning cast members — Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang — and newer additions like Jack Champion, Bailey Bass and James Flatters, director James Cameron ( Titanic, Aliens, Terminator 2) promises yet another spectacle for the ages, even as his visionary mind already traces the development of three further Avatar sequels to arrive in 2024, 2026 and 2028.

The pioneering filmmaker, who heralded the 3D renaissance movement that changed the global movie industry as we know it, also brings another first-of-its-kind innovation to Avatar: The Way of Water — the concept of underwater performance capture, now awaited with breathtaking anticipation, thanks to Cameron’s unprecedented development of deep ocean exploration vehicles and expeditions to some of the world’s deepest trenches.

Ahead of the film’s theatrical release on December 16, we speak to James Cameron and some of his actors in a global press conference. Excerpts: