Avatar 2 concept art reveals the first look at new Pandora locations. James Cameron’s game-changing epic offered a stunning look at the possibilities of 3D filmmaking upon its release over 10 years ago, taking the global box office by storm.

Much has happened since the days of Avatar’s reign. Though the film did re-ignite the trend of 3D filmmaking, things gradually cooled off after several years to the point where there’s far less hype surrounding films released in the format. And while Avatar stood firm in the number one spot of highest grossing films of all time for the vast majority of the past decade, that reign came to an end this past summer when Avengers: Endgame stole the spotlight. Still, despite Avatar no longer being as relevant as it once was, Cameron is far from finished securing his franchise as one of – if not the greatest of all time. Four more films in the series are on their way, with the first due to arrive in 2021 and the last set for a 2027 release. Ambitious doesn’t even begin to describe Cameron’s outlook for the sci-fi epic, and to date, fans haven’t had a whole lot to go on, other than a promise from the filmmaker that it will be the first film to shoot performance capture scenes underwater.

Shooting underwater appears to be a substantial part of the upcoming sequel. This time around, Cameron intends to give his audiences more insight into the verdant moon of Pandora. While the first film more or less stuck with Pandora’s extensive jungles and rocky cliffs, the upcoming sequel will begin to offer more in depth views of the moon’s ecosystems. Because of this, Avatar 2 looks set to offer some phenomenal effects and world building. So far we’ve only been able to guess at what these new ecosystems might look like, but now, thanks to the official Avatar Twitter account, we have our first look at some of Pandora’s lush environments. The concept art can be seen below and seems to promise big things from Cameron in 2021:

The gorgeous coral reefs and tropical environments are impressive enough as concept art, but if Cameron can transfer this to the big screen, it does look as though audiences are in for a real treat. At present both Avatar 2 and 3 are in the process of being filmed and yet despite this, the general online reception thus far has been somewhat lukewarm. This is likely due to the fact that so much has come and gone in terms of cinema since 2009 that it’s difficult for many to feel any excitement over what can easily be disregarded (at present) as a lot of sequels that no one asked for. However, it’s important to keep in mind that before Avatar’s initial arrival, audiences also had limited knowledge of what was in store for them. As it happened, what was in store for them was a cinematic experience unlike any that had come before it.

James Cameron has never been the sort of filmmaker who takes the easy way out. And while it’s difficult to imagine exactly what he could possibly need to say with Avatar over the span of four sequels, it’s very exciting from a technical standpoint at least, to think that the above images will eventually be translated into an epic theatrical event. With new technology pioneered by the acclaimed, Oscar-winning filmmaker, it remains to be seen if Avatar’s sequels will once again set the bar or if they will instead end up being very costly missteps. At this point, however, these images seem to insist on something so big that it presently remains unfathomable.

Next: Why The Avatar Sequels Are Worth Their $1 Billion Budget

Source: Avatar Official

  • Avatar 2 Release Date: 2022-12-16 Avatar 3 Release Date: 2024-12-20 Avatar 4 Release Date: 2026-12-18 Avatar 5 Release Date: 2028-12-22