The marketing campaign for Avatar: The Way of Water has begun, but someone might want to tell filmmaker James Cameron that he works for Disney now! The sci-fi franchise was one of many the House of Mouse nabbed during its acquisition of 20th Century Fox, and a third Avatar movie has already been shot (there are also tentative plans for fourth and fifth chapters).
It's been thirteen years since the first instalment was released, and 15 years will have passed on Pandora. That means Jake and Neytiri have been through a lot, and Cameron wanted to reflect that by avoiding the lack of immaturity he believes Marvel and DC characters display.
"Zoe and Sam now play parents, 15 years later," Cameron tells The New York Times. "In the first movie, Sam’s character leaps off his flying creature and essentially changes the course of history as a result of this crazy, almost suicidal leap of faith. And Zoe’s character leaps off a limb and assumes there’s going to be some nice big leaves down there that can cushion her fall. But when you’re a parent, you don’t think that way."
"So for me, as a parent of five kids, I’m saying, 'What happens when those characters mature and realize that they have a responsibility outside their own survival?'"
"When I look at these big, spectacular films - I’m looking at you, Marvel and DC - it doesn’t matter how old the characters are, they all act like they’re in college," he continues. "They have relationships, but they really don’t. They never hang up their spurs because of their kids. The things that really ground us and give us power, love, and a purpose? Those characters don’t experience it, and I think that’s not the way to make movies."
Cameron, clearly not too bothered about expressing his thoughts on Disney's other franchises, was also asked for his opinion on The Little Mermaid, another upcoming movie set underwear. "Oh, I don’t know, maybe that it looks good? Come on! You want it to look like the people are underwater, so they need to be underwater."
The director isn't saying anything too awful here, though he's certainly not towing the company line either! Whether we can expect him to continue being this outspoken over the next couple of months remains to be seen, though Cameron clearly has little interest in heading to the Marvel or DC Universe.
Avatar: The Way of Water will splash down into theaters on December 16.