20th Century Studios brought Avatar: The Way of Water to D23, but sadly didn't share any of the footage shown to those in attendance online. That's a real disappointment, though we can share some gorgeous concept art from the sequel with you. If this is representative of what we'll see on screen this December, we're in for one heck of a ride.
A few 3D scenes were shown to fans at the event in Anaheim, California, with one taking place underwater, another in the forests of Pandora at night, and a touching conversation between Sam Worthington's and Zoe Saldana's characters.
Director James Cameron joined D23 virtually as he's currently in the midst of finishing this movie and working on those planned sequels. "I'm super excited to be finally finishing up movie two," he told fans. "I know everyone’s been waiting a long time. Hopefully, we’ll show something today and you can decide if it’s been worth it."
We wish we could have also seen that footage, but Disney has to have plans to promote the heck out of the Avatar sequel before the franchise returns to theaters this Christmas. Common sense says trailers will be attached to the first movie's upcoming re-release and November's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
Directed by Avatar helmer James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, Avatar: The Way of Water stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and Kate Winslet.
To whet audiences' appetites, Disney/20th Century Studios will re-release Avatar in theaters on September 23. As for Avatar: The Way of Water, that arrives in theaters worldwide on December 16.