New Avatar 2 On-Set Images Tease Sequel's Aquatic Setting

While we're all having to wait a while longer for many big movies over the next couple of years, fans of James Cameron's Avatar are used to delays on the sequel. Cameron has been working on several follow-ups to his hugely successful 2009 sci-fi film for many years, and we're still over a year away from the release of the first sequel. But while we wait, the official Avatar Twitter account has released some fascinating new behind-the-scenes images.

The images shows Cameron on a platform, looking down at several of his actors, who are in a pool of water. The tweet states that the actors are preparing to dive underwater to be filmed performance capture--like the original movie, the majority of the characters in the Avatar sequel are expected to be the race of aliens known as the Na'Vi, who are created using motion-capture technology.

A subsequent tweets explains that the white balls on the surface of the water are there to stop light "interfering with filming underwater," while still allowing the actors to resurface. Check the images out below:

These pictures follow this concept art from the Avatar sequel. It was revealed by Cameron at the tech trade show CES in Las Vegas in January, and shows spectacular views of the planet Pandora, with a focus on its oceans. While specific plot details about the movie are under-wraps, we know that it will be set in and around the sea.

The first Avatar sequel hits theaters on December 17, 2021. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang will reprise their roles from the first movie, and will be joined by Kate Winslet, Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, and Jemaine Clement. Production on the live-action parts of the movie wrapped in November.

There are also another three Avatar movies scheduled for 2023, 2025, and 2027 releases. However, Cameron has previously stated that the latter two films depend on the box office performance of the first sequel. The first Avatar held the record for the biggest movie of all time for nearly a decade, before it was finally beaten by Avengers: Endgame last year.

In related news, in November, the Avatar Twitter account confirmed that Ubisoft's new open-world Avatar game, which is being developed by The Division studio Massive, is still in the works. Ubisoft has been quiet on the project for a long time, so some wondered if plans were scrapped. The game was announced in 2017 and is currently known only as The Avatar Project.