James Cameron says 'Avatar 2' is allegory of ecological threats

Director James Cameron of “Avatar: The Way to Water,” on the screen, and producer Jon Landau, center, take part in an event at a theater in Busan after a special screening of an 18-minute video footage of the film during the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Thursday. Courtesy of BIFF

By Kwak Yeon-soo

BUSAN ― James Cameron, the director of “Avatar: The Way to Water,” said his forthcoming film is an allegory of marine ecological threats.

Director James Cameron of “Avatar: The Way to Water” / Courtesy of BIFF

Following a special screening of an 18-minute video footage of “Avatar 2,” which was shown to a limited number of audiences during the 27th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), he and producer Jon Landau, who is visiting Busan, discussed creative and technical improvements in the sequel.

“In the first film, we saw a mining operation on Pandora. In the new film, we will see damage being done to the marine ecosystem. It's an allegory of what indigenous people are experiencing,” Cameron said during a press conference via video link.

The renowned director shared how he sought to improve the film.

“Creatively, we see more creatures, cultures, intelligent species, polar region, desert and so on in the sequel. Our goal was to develop tools to do better in visual effects and bring a high-frame rate to improve the 3D experience,” he said.

Film producer Jon Landau speaks during a press conference held after the special screening of an 18-minute video footage of “Avatar: The Way to Water” at KNN Theater in Busan, Thursday. Yonhap

Landau said he hoped the film will provide an opportunity for audiences to enjoy the “ultimate cinematic experience.”

“The pandemic forced people to stay at home, but it is human nature to crave a communal experience. Now is the perfect time to come out and experience the film on a big screen,” he said during a press conference held at KNN Theater after the screening.

Asked about the reason behind unveiling the video footage at the BIFF ahead of its theatrical release in December, the producer said, “The BIFF is a perfect venue to introduce the world of Pandora to the Asian market. We make movies for a universal audience, not for one region.”

Landau also talked about the major theme of the film.

“I hope that people see 'Avatar 2' and understand that no matter where they are in life or how unsure they are of themselves, inside of them is the ability to be a hero. You can become a hero by the support of your family ― not just biological family but the community,” he said.

According to him, the cast of “Avatar: The Way to Water” spent two months training to hold their breath under water.

“For the first film, we took the cast to a rain forest in Hawaii. This time, we took them 10 meters down to the ocean floor at night to give them the most Pandora experience,” he said.

Landau, who shared that four Avatar sequels are in development at the moment, said most of the first act of “Avatar 4” is completed. “We've designed most of 'Avatar 4,' but we actually filmed just the first act.”