Avatar 2 is set about 10 years after the events of Avatar 2009. The film tells the story of Sully's family, the hardships they have to go through, the tragedies they have to endure, the battles they have to risk their lives to protect each other and their community, against the dangers that may come from planet Earth.
After the success of Avatar 2009, Cameron said the sequels would expand the Avatar universe, exploring other moons of the planet Polyphemus. In the immediate future, Avatar 2 will focus on Pandora's ocean and exploit more about the rainforest. The filmmaker has designed a distinctive and unique Pandora's ocean ecosystem.
Although it continues the environmental theme of the first movie, Avatar 2 would try not to become a fictional documentary as the film will focus on entertainment.
Avatar 2 is perhaps one of the longest-making films in cinematic history. As early as 2006, Cameron stated that he wanted to make a sequel to Avatar if it was successful; By 2010, the goal was to release The Way of Water in 2014.
However, the addition of three more sequels (with the first) and the need to develop new technology to shoot underwater scenes, a feat never achieved before, led to delays over and over again. Eventually, preliminary filming began in Manhattan Beach, California, and was followed by main filming (concurrently with Avatar 3) in New Zealand in 2017. Filming ended at the end of September 2020, after over three years of shooting.
The original cast that will return includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, with Sigourney Weaver returning in another role. The new cast includes Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement and Vin Diesel.
The film's theatrical release has experienced eight delays, with the latest occurring on July 23, 2020; currently the film is scheduled for release on December 16, 2022, while Avatar 3 is expected to be released in 2024. If both films were successful, the producer would continue with Avatar 4 in 2026, and Avatar 5 in 2028.