Avatar: The Way of Water’s writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver tease the expansive stories of subsequent Avatar sequels. Jaffa and Silver also penned Avatar 3, which was filmed simultaneously with The Way of Water, and will be succeeded by Avatar 4 and 5. Since coming to theaters in early December, the Avatar sequel has grossed over $600 million globally, and has earned nods for a number of accolades, including the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama.
In conversation with Variety, Jaffa and Silver teased future explorations of Pandora in Avatar 3, 4, and 5, having collaborated with the writers involved in the rest of the franchise. Jaffa hints that the dynamics between Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), as well as Ronal (Kate Winslet) and Tonawari (Cliff Curtis) will play a big role in the following events. Silver shares that the scope and scale will be unimaginably grand — and the stories unpredictable:
You have this kind of deeply relatable series of dynamics, inter-family, interpersonal, inter-clan, played out on these incredibly inflated scales of different worlds. The clans that you’re going to meet and the worlds that you’re going to find on Pandora — you can’t even imagine what they are. Just like the tulkun were a revelation for this movie, there’s lots more of that stuff to come. It’s incredibly exciting, the story that happens to the Sullys. You couldn’t predict it.
How The Avatar Franchise Is Set Up For Success
Both Avatar movies have been lauded for their pioneering technical achievements, which were painstakingly perfected and cited as the cause of the major gap between the films. In depicting Jake and his family’s assimilation into the way of life of the Metkayina reef people, The Way of Water boasts unprecedented CGI in its underwater performance motion-capturing. More stunning visual effects are anticipated for the next sequels — Cameron once even shared that glasses-free 3D could be possible. Often noted as being a feast for the senses, Avatar 1 and 2 make for universally great viewing, for families to science-fiction fanatics.
Jaffa and Silver also mention how Cameron has thought of everything possible when it comes to the planet of Pandora, including its flora, fauna, and tides. He completely immerses viewers by fully capturing the Na’vi inhabitants and the world that they steward. With the help of his screenwriting team, he has created a vision for the franchise and mapped out what each sequel will look like — Josh Friedman being responsible for Avatar 4 and Shane Salerno for Avatar 5. In doing so, Cameron creates a flow in the Avatar series where each film’s events are not reactive but rather progressive in an overarching journey. This meticulousness mirrors other Disney franchises, particularly that of the MCU, which has been arguably so successful by keeping each superhero’s storyline grounded in an overarching vision.
The end of Avatar: The Way of Water sees Jake’s family forge a new life at sea, away from the rest of the Omaticaya clan. Jake also vows to keep fighting human invaders that threaten Na’vi life on Pandora. Jaffa and Silver are tight-lipped about how it will all play out — but with sharp writing, exceptional production value, and a capable cast, audiences can be sure that there’s plenty to look forward to in the years to come. And they won’t have to wait too long, with Avatar 3 scheduled for a 2024 release.
Source: Variety
