The Avatar 2 Cast Had To Learn How To Hold Their Breath For Minutes At A Time
The long-awaited sequel to James Cameron's "Avatar" is on the way, and this time, it's damp. We're getting four sequels to the first film, but this one, which is due to premiere on December 16, 2022, is going to be set largely underwater. He doesn't do things halfway, that James Cameron. As you can see from the official Twitter account for the film, the concept art is really impressive. (You can check some of it out below.) As for the story itself, Cameron has said in the past that this goes to some really dark places, which we've reported on before.
Doing a movie that is set underwater poses some difficulties, both in terms of filming and acting. James Cameron has innovated a lot of tricks on the filming side, but the actors have had to go through some serious training in terms of acting in the drink. EW has reported that the cast had to learn some major tricks to get it done, including holding their breaths for an inordinate amount of time.
I do hope it was worth it. I recently re-watched the first film and while it's one of the prettiest things I've ever seen, the story is a cross between "FernGully" and a white savior story. I'm sorry. Pretty, folks. So pretty!
Filming in the Drink
According to the site, the cast had to get certified in scuba and went diving with manta rays in Hawaii, which is pretty thrilling. The problem with scuba is the gear, though. It would be really hard to do mocap with it, I would think. They had to learn to hold their breath for several minutes at a time while free diving. Cameron reportedly said that Sigourney Weaver (yes, she died in the last one, but hey, no one ever really dies in sci-fi) learned to hold her breath for six-and-a-half minutes! That's crazy! Then there is Kate Winslet who held hers for seven-and-a-half-minutes!
Producer Jon Landau told the site:
"One of my favorite memories was we had this circular tank, maybe 40 feet wide, with a big glass portal in it. I walked by one day and I see Kate Winslet walking on the bottom of the tank ... She's walking towards me and sees me in the window, and she just waves, gets to the end of the wall, turns around, and walks all the way back."
Okay, that's pretty damn impressive. I'd watch it just to see that. Here is the cast info for you, so you can marvel at the people who apparently now have superpowers:
Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana are back as Jake and Neytiri. The film also sees the return of Sigourney Weaver, CCH Pounder, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, Giovanni Ribisi, Matt Gerald, and Stephen Lang. New additions include Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and Oona Chaplin. Plus, there's a whole gaggle of child actors who have been cast as a younger generation of "Avatar" characters: Jack Champion, Trinity Bliss, Bailey Bass, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Filip Geljo, and Duane Evans Jr.