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Avatar 2 is actually coming out this year. The long-awaited sequel from director James Cameron has a lot to live up to as the first Avatar is a massive success. The special effects were revolutionary and it was an absolute spectacle to watch in IMAX. According to star Zoe Saldana, the sequel may just match up to the original as she was “moved to tears” after only watching 20 minutes of the sequel. 

‘Avatar’ is still the highest-grossing film of all time

Zoe Saldana from Avatar attends the New York Premiere for The Adam Project.
Zoe Saldana | Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

In the first Avatar, Saldana plays Neytiri, a member of the Na’vi on the planet of Pandora. She falls in love with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) who is a human utilizing an avatar of a Na’vi to go undercover in their tribe. After becoming one with the planet and its people, Jake and Neytiri battle the humans to keep them from destroying the planet to harvest its resources. 

Avatar came out in 2009, however, it still remains the highest-grossing movie worldwide of all time, according to Box Office Mojo. It was passed briefly by Avengers: Endgame but it regained the title with over $2.8 billion after some re-releases in theaters. Domestically, sits in fourth place behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

Avatar also scored big at the Academy Awards with 12 nominations, including Best Picture. It only ended up winning 3 for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Visual Effects. 

Zoe Saldana was ‘speechless’ after watching 20 minutes of the sequel

The sequel to Avatar has a lot of expectations building for it, with many wanting the same emotional, visual spectacle of the first. Saldana had the chance to watch 20 minutes of it before the end of 2021 and says she was “speechless.” In an interview with Kevin McCarthy for The Adam Project, Saldana was asked about Avatar 2 and spoke about the 20 minutes she viewed. 

“It’s powerful, it’s compelling. I can get choked up just talking about it,” Saldana says. “I was speechless. I was moved to tears…This story is going to be compelling. Avatar 2 is definitely a leap from Avatar 1, so I think that you really have to brace yourself for it. It’s going to be an adventure that you will not forget.”

One exciting innovation that Cameron has been working on for Avatar 2 is the use of performance-capture technology underwater. In the interview, Saldana tells McCarthy that Cameron was able to “crack” this difficult piece of technology. 

“He was finally able to crack that challenge,” Saldana explains. “That was just a challenge that he had taken upon himself and it took him years and he did it.”

‘Avatar 2’ is finally coming out in 2022

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It has been a long time coming for Cameron’s sequel to see the light of day. According to Screenrant, Avatar 2 originally was scheduled for a “2014 release” before it was pushed back as Cameron worked on new technology and built the story. Since then, it has been delayed 8 times, finally landing on a release date in 2022. 

This isn’t the only sequel that Cameron is planning as there are 3 more films currently in development. Avatar 3 is set to be released on Dec. 20, 2024, followed by Avatar 4 on Dec. 18, 2026, and Avatar 5 on Dec. 22, 2028. Avatar 2 is just the beginning of a whole new story on Pandora. 

Avatar 2 is set to release in theaters on Dec. 16, 2022. 

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