Latest Avatar 2 Set Photo Debuts New Location Designs

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James Cameron is a filmmaker who is known for his massive movies and bold vision. He's pioneered a variety of filmmaking techniques throughout his tenure on the big screen, and the Avatar franchise is certainly no exception. The original 2009 movie proved what motion capture was capable of, but unfortunately the wait for a sequel has been long. Cameron is filming sequels simultaneously, and the latest photo from the set teases some of the new locations that we'll be exploring on Pandora.

The world of Pandora was visually striking in the original Avatar, and audiences couldn't get enough. And while attractions at theme parks helped to buoy excitement, that planet will be greatly expanded in Avatar 2. The sequel will follow up on the story years after the original, with the Na'vi tribes uniting when an old foe returns to the planet. A new set photo shows James Cameron presenting concept art, and you can check it out below.

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It's good to be back, isn't it? The photos of actors hard at work have shown how Avatar 2 will dive back into Pandora literally, with plenty of water work being done by the cast/crew. And these concept images definitely hammer that point home, as we can see a variety of underwater settings on Pandora.

The above image comes to us from the personal Instagram of Avatar 2 producer Jon Landau. He's been regularly sharing images from James Cameron's set, to the delight of the burgeoning franchise's many fans. Many of these images have shown off the cast doing motion capture from within a pool of water, with Kate Winslet even filming scenes at the bottom of a pool.

The original Avatar movie is currently available to re-watch on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.

In the above image, we can see Avatar visionary James Cameron presenting concept art to a room full of people. Look closer and you'll see that it's actually Avatar 2's cast, featuring some very familiar faces. Sigourney Weaver is front and center, flanked by the likes of Stephen Lang. Zoe Saldana is seemingly in the background of the shot as well, as the director introduces the visuals that the cast will have to imagine and bring to life in their performances.

Considering that the Avatar movies are made possible through extensive visual effects and motion capture, the process of crafting concept art and sharing it with the cast is all the more important. It's nothing but these images that the ensemble will have in order to visualize the world of the franchise in an organic way. We'll just have to wait for the Avatar sequels to finally arrive to see how this turned out.

Avatar 2 is currently expected to arrive in theaters on December 16th, 2022. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your trips to the movies next year.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.