5 Reasons Why Avatar 2 Took So Long to Make

Few major film franchises had enjoyed the same level of international success as James Cameron's Avatar, which is still the highest-grossing film of all time with $2.85 billion in worldwide box office receipts as of 2022 when the 2009 blockbuster was re-released. Along with a visually spectacular debut teaser and exclusive footage presented at CinemaCon, the year also saw the official title of Avatar 2 revealed: Avatar: The Way of Water, significantly increasing fan anticipation.

Fortunately, the wait for sequels will end after fans patiently waited years for them—during which some people watched the original for the first time.We'lll begin our breakdown of what we know so far about the blockbuster on the day in 2022 when the Avatar franchise opens in theatres. Talking about Avatar’s unforgettable and nostalgic plot, A paraplegic Marine sent on a special mission to the moon Pandora finds himself divided between carrying out his instructions and defending the place he considers to be his home.

Fans are quite excited about its sequel. But the wait goes long. Fortunately, James Cameron announced that Avatar 2's principal photography had concluded and that the third film was also nearing completion in September of that year. The movie's current theatrical release date was December 16, 2022. In this blog, let's unfold why it takes Avatar too long to make.

Reason 1: The Theme of the Movie

First of all, James Cameron wanted to modify the motion capture technology so that it could be used underwater because Avatar: The Way of Water will strongly emphasize Pandora's oceans and the creatures that inhabit them. Motion capture technology had to progress significantly, which took several years. Thus, the start of filming had to be delayed considerably as a result of Cameron's request.

Eventually, once the underwater motion capture technology was prepared, the movie's filming started in 2017. Due to the film's co-production with Avatar 3, the production took an unusually long three years to complete. The visual effects were then worked on during the film's post-production phase after principal photography.

Reason 2: The Casting of Avatar 2

Sam Worthington, an Australian actor, and Zoe Saldana, a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have agreed to reprise their roles as Jake Sully, a human-turned-Na'vi, and Neytiri, his native love interest and strong warrior, in Avatar: The Way of Water and future films. Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel, Joel David Moore as Jake's friend and Na'vi enthusiast Norm Spellman, Giovanni Ribisi as the avaricious RDA administrator Parker Selfridge, and CCH Pounder as the Na'vi's spiritual leader, Mo'at, are among the other Avatar veterans who will be traveling with them on this new adventure. 

When the sequels were still in the early stages of development, James Cameron teased that they would be a family story that would chronicle the ongoing exploits of Jake Sully, Neytiri, and their kids. The unexpected reappearance of Sigourney Weaver, who played Dr. Grace Augustine in the original movie and was nominated for an Oscar, is another cast member in James Cameron's Aliens.

Reason 3: The Filming

James Cameron, the cast, and the crew even dove underwater to capture underwater scenes while using performance capture technology. According to reports, Kate Winslet performed Ronal's role while submerging for seven minutes at a time. Cameron also told Vanity Fair about using a sort of sign language to relay speech when filming in a huge tank with some of the younger new cast members who could not speak.

Reason 4: The Scripting Process

Josh Friedman, David Koepp's co-writer on Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds remake, is recognized as the co-screenwriter for Avatar: The Way of Water. James Cameron has enlisted a full team of collaborators to help create the Avatar sequels. Veteran actors Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver from Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Shane Salerno from Armageddon will also collaborate with Cameron on upcoming sequels that will feature whole new worlds, habitats, and cultures. This may indicate that we will encounter some novel species of intelligent extraterrestrials.

We're told that each of the next films is being made as a separate film, rather than being four pieces of a greater plot, in contrast to the Avatar sequels, which were written as one large, ever-expanding beast and are mostly being filmed concurrently. The story will be centered on the planet Pandora's oceans, a significant plot point is already known for Avatar: The Way of Water. The current information about the new characters seems to support that.

Reason 5: Planning for Future Sequel

There will be at least three more films after Avatar: The Way of Water, even if it has a runtime of more than three hours. Avatar 3 was simultaneously filmed with Avatar 2, has a current release date of December 20, 2024, and was largely completed as of late 2021. For Avatar 4, which is currently scheduled to release on December 16, 2026, Cameron and the company still need to accomplish a few things.

While the fourth installment was being created, it spent a few years without receiving formal approval from Disney. The same is true for Avatar 5, which is currently scheduled for December 22, 2028.

It is no secret that Avatar had detractors despite its popularity. However, it seems that those who genuinely do still have a soft spot in their hearts for the thrilling, visually spectacular sci-fi extravaganza will have plenty of chances to visit Pandora in the coming years. When Avatar: The Way of Water hits theatres soon, the adventure continues.