Director James Cameron has spent more than a decade making the first of a planned four sequels to his 2009 blockbuster film Avatar. We got our first peek at the first of those sequels, Avatar: The Way of Water, in May with a brief, visually stunning teaser that showcased Cameron's undisputed skill at world-building. Yet despite enthusiasm for the visuals, the overall response was fairly muted. Perhaps more audience excitement for the upcoming film will emerge now that we have the full official trailer.

As we've reported previously , Cameron wrote a treatment for Avatar way back in 1994, and it was supposed to be the director's next big project after he wrapped his blockbuster Titanic . But Cameron realized the technology did not yet exist to make the film he envisioned. He spent several years working to develop what he needed, including a cutting-edge virtual camera system to direct the motion-capture scenes. (He compared it to "a big, powerful game engine.")

The finished film set new box office records upon its release; it was the highest-grossing film until Avengers: Endgame briefly took the top spot in 2019. (A March 2021 Chinese rerelease put Avatar back on top.) Critics were mostly positive, praising the technological achievements, although some pointed out that the storytelling suffered. Cameron also consulted with multiple scientists while designing the world of Pandora (a moon orbiting a gas giant exoplanet called Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri A system). Avatar was nominated for nine Oscars, ultimately winning Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.

If you ventured into the theater to watch Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness this weekend, you probably got to see the first teaser for Avatar: The Way of Water , the long-awaited sequel to the 2009 science-fiction blockbuster Avatar . Director James Cameron has spent more than a decade making the first of a planned four sequels, a large fraction of which takes place in underwater environments.

(Spoilers for the 2009 film below.)

Cameron wrote a treatment for Avatar way back in 1994, and it was supposed to be the director's next big project after he wrapped his blockbuster Titanic . But Cameron realized the technology did not yet exist to make the film he envisioned. He spent several years working to develop what he needed, including a cutting-edge virtual camera system to direct the motion-capture scenes. (He compared it to "a big, powerful game engine.")