Zoe Saldana Teases The Entire Arc Of Jake And Neytiri's Lives In The Forthcoming Avatar Films
Warning: This article includes spoilers for "Avatar: The Way of Water."
After a grueling 13 years of production, "Avatar: The Way of Water" is finally here. Taking audiences back to Pandora, the sequel shines new light on legendary director James Cameron's brainchild, expanding on the world its predecessor established.
"The Way of Water" picks up over a decade after the events of the first film. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) now have a family of their own, consisting of two sons, a biological daughter, an adoptive daughter, and a human boy. Family is the focus of "The Way of Water," with Jake and Neytiri leaving behind their Omaticaya tribe to protect them and their kids from the new — and blue — Quaritch (Stephen Lang). They seek refuge with the Metkayina, a tribe of water-based Na'vi, and find a new home among them.
For all intents and purposes, "The Way of Water" looks to recapture the magic of the original, both with audiences and at the box office. It's still up in the air if the sequel will perform at the level of the first, but being compared to the highest-grossing movie of all time is a challenging task for any film. Regardless of its box-office performance, audiences can expect numerous trips back to Pandora, with more sequels already on the way. Cameron's already developed the scripts for three more sequels. However, he has plans in place for a potential "Avatar 6 and 7."
"The Way of Water" proves there's so much more of Pandora to explore. And thanks to Saldana, we may have gotten some first hints at what those future stories could entail.
Avatar fans can expect much more of Jake and Neytiri in the sequels
As mentioned before, "Avatar: The Way of Water" is about family. While Jake and Neytiri are still billed as the main characters, their children take up much of the movie's screen time. James Cameron uses the sequel's over three-hour runtime to introduce and build on the new characters while the original heroes take an ever-so-slight back seat. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief, though, because it seems that the children will never completely overshadow Jake and Neytiri's story in future "Avatar" films.
Speaking to CinemaBlend, Zoe Saldana teased what to expect from Jake and Neytiri's story moving forward in the series. "Jake is her [Neytiri's] heart. Jake is like her rock, and we're going to get to see, throughout the course of this saga, where they are and then where they end up. It's quite remarkable. It's a full life." From the sound of things, it seems like Cameron doesn't plan to cut either of the characters' lives short anytime soon. While many sequels, especially after such prolonged periods in between movies, choose to introduce a younger generation of characters that will become the main protagonists or antagonists of future installments, it looks like Jake and Neytiri will remain at the forefront of the "Avatar" series.
For those thinking that Saldana may be speculating, "Avatar" producer Jon Landau confirmed to Collider that Cameron had completed the scripts for three more "Avatar" films and given them to the cast, so they know what's in store for their characters. Judging from Saldana's comments, it sounds like audiences will see Jake and Neytiri grow old together, which is more than any fan could want.
What else can fans expect from the Avatar sequels?
If "Avatar: The Way of Water" is anything to go off of, future sequels will continue to expand on James Cameron's Pandora. The movie introduced the Metkayina, bringing an entirely new water environment filled with the whale-like tulkun and many more unique aquatic creatures. According to Quaritch actor Stephen Lang, that trend will continue in future installments. The world of Pandora is massive and just as diverse as Earth, according to Lang, and Cameron will continue to explore that as the saga pushes forward.
Don't expect the new generation of "Avatar" characters to go anywhere, either. Jon Landau confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the upcoming sequels would continue this new generation's stories. Lo'ak, Tuk, Spider, and Reya will continue to play significant roles in the story moving forward. As Landau said, the goal is to see the young actors grow up alongside their "Avatar" characters.
In the same Entertainment Weekly piece, Cameron explained that he left specific plot points unanswered to explore more in future films. At the end of "The Way of Water," Spider rescues Quaritch from the sinking ship, but audiences don't get any explanation of where he's headed. Questions also surround Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), who seems to be some sort of "chosen one" with the ability to control Pandora's wildlife. Thankfully this time, we won't have to wait 13 years to get some answers.