Actor Sam Worthington has finally opened up about his experience on the sets of the Avatar sequel, now titled, Avatar: The Way of Water. Worthington played the lead role of Jake Sully, a disabled former Marine chosen for the Avatar Program, in the first movie. Though his mission is to get initiated with the resident Na’vi tribe and pass on information to his superiors, he later has a change of heart and sides with the tribe when the humans plan on to graze their sacred forest.

After thirteen years of the most successful film ever, Worthington is returning to his best role even to date. After a long wait, during the CinemaCon panel, James Cameron revealed the first sequel’s title and release date. For the first time, Worthington went public with his first expressions on the upcoming sequel and newness in his character portrayal years later.

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Speaking to Variety, Worthington said,

Joking about his age and the gap between the two films, Worthington added,

When I did the first one, I was 30. And when the second one comes out, I’m gonna be pushing 50.

It was quite an observation by Worthington; after all, the film has taken thirteen years to get a sequel ready. But, in defense of the gap, the film’s script and setting evidently justify the long time it took for the sequel to come out. Firstly, Cameron has been working cordially on not one, but four sequels, shooting sequences simultaneously to ensure the sequels are released in the intended two years away from one another.

In the first one I was in a wheelchair, you know. And by the time we get to the fourth and fifth, I might actually be in a wheelchair by the time we get to do it. It’s great to be a part of such an amazing family and have that longevity.

Moreover, given the technology that the creative team uniquely designed for underwater sequences is too complex and requires thorough execution, it’s not a surprise that the film is coming this late. Interestingly, Cameron had earlier revealed that his first Avatar film was also in development since Titanic, but it took time for the technology to catch up to his vision.

Worthington Calls Cameron’s Visionary Project “Marvelous”

     20th Century Studios

Talking about Cameron’s way of working with his crew which the latter has kept together for productions of all four sequels, Worthington praised Cameron and his creative team, saying,

Upon being asked about his expectations from the film, Worthington asked,

Jim is a very loyal man, and he keeps the same people on board, but I’m a very small cog in this. There’s a big creative team behind it, and from what I’ve seen, it’s mind-blowing and marvelous what they’re coming up with.

Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water is promising the most immersive 3D experience and its first footage from CinemaCon hints at the same. Avatar: The Way of Water and its sequel will dive into the expansion of Pandora and will feature stories of other tribes that reside on the planet, some of whom joined Jake in his fight against Colonel Quaritch’s invasion.

It’s a Jim Cameron movie, man, what do you think?

Just like Avatar, James Cameron is pushing the limits of film production and cinematic experience with the sequels. Alongside his creative team, Cameron has successfully united the original star cast as Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, and Dileep Rao, while Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Vin Diesel, and Michelle Yeoh join as new members.

Avatar: The Way of Water will release on December 16, 2022, while Avatar 3 will release on December 20, 2024. The fourth and fifth films in the series are planned for 2026 and 2028.