The final trailer for the long-awaited Avatar sequel The Way of Water has arrived.
Directed by James Cameron, The Way of Water has seemingly become the ultimate passion project for the renowned filmmaker behind The Terminator, Aliens, and Titanic. After successfully designing a vehicle that would take him to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Cameron returned to the surface to work on the follow-up to 2009’s Avatar, the highest-grossing film of all-time.
In an interview with the New York Times, Cameron explained that he and his writers’ room constructed a sprawling story that could not be contained within a trilogy as he had originally intended. Despite his lofty vision for the five-film Avatar series, the 68-year-old director understands that Hollywood is a results-based industry.
“It’s one thing to make a lot of money, it’s another thing to actually make a profit,” Cameron told the Associated Press. “We’re not going to keep making movies that lose money even though they look good and make a ton of money. This is a wait-and-see, let’s-put-it-out-there-and-see-if-people-embrace-it kind of situation.”
The Way of Water will be performing an especially unique high-wire act. Cameron told GQ that the new movie will “have to be the third or fourth highest-grossing film in history. That’s your threshold. That’s your break even.” While reports claim the film carries a $250 million budget, Cameron would only concede it was “very fucking [expensive].”
Avatar: The Way of Water will hit theaters on Dec. 16. In the meantime, you can revisit Avatar on Disney+ following its return to the streaming service after the film was pulled during its limited theatrical run.
