News from the James Cameron's AVATAR fanbase

Alright everyone, final trailer means final breakdown, and we have a good amount of new stuff to go through! Let's not waste any time getting to it, spoilers ahead for those looking to avoid them.​

Our first shot might look familiar to those of you who picked up the Empire Magazine article last June.  We open on a stunning shot of the Sully family flying their Ikran at sunrise/sunset, heading for the Metkyina clan and fleeing from the RDA.  Jake and Neytiri take the front with Tuk asleep in her mother’s arms, and Kiri, Lo’ak, and Neteyam taking up the back.

We then cut to back to back shots of the Sully family arriving at the Metkayina reefs, flying over the reef pools, with a new shot of the clan members below reacting to their arrival, and finally a shot of the family landing on the clan’s beaches. As we pointed out in our previous breakdown, Spider is absent in these shots- likely due to capture by the RDA during this period of the film.

The next shot is brief, but also provides a surprising amount of information for eagle-eyed viewers.  The shot itself is part of the Sully family’s arrival, with Tonowari asking “Why do you come to us?”  However, if you look closely, you’ll see that Ronal’s stomach is flat, rather than the pregnant belly that has been shown in all other preview clips, trailers, and promotional shots we’ve seen yet.  Knowing that she is very much pregnant during what looks to be the final battle of the movie, it seems that the Sullys will spend a good number of months with the tribe.

​Returning to Tonowari’s question of “Why do you come to us?”, in the next shot we see a staggering amount of AMP suits leaving a vehicle, likely an improved Valkyrie shuttle. We cut back to a shot of Jake holding Tuk in his arms, saying “I just want to keep my family safe”.  From there we see a couple of shots of the Sully kids growing up and Jake and Neytiri being parents.  We first get an adorable shot of the entire family spending time in a hammock not long after Tuk is born, then hopping back in time with Jake playing with a younger Neteyam and Kiri, with Neytiri looking after a younger Lo’ak.

Next, we jump back to the arrival scene, with Lo’ak and Neteyam noticing Tsireya emerging from the water. Neytiri also notices out of the side of her eye (or is just glaring at her boys both are likely).  Some of you might have also noticed that Tsireya’s eyes looked a little weird coming out of the water, and you’re right!  It seems the Metkayina also have a nictitating membrane as part of their eyelids.  We finish the arrival scene shots with two back to back shots of Aonung and Rotxo observing the Sully family as they first arrive and not reacting to Neteyam and Lo’ak signing “I See you” as a greeting.

From there we jump to a shot of Lo’ak swimming down part of the reef, with another Na’vi above him. Tonowari’s dialogue plays over the next couple of shots, Saying “treat them as our brothers and sisters, teach them our ways”.  After that we have a few shots of one of the preview scenes, with Tuk watching the fish after she jumps into the water, Lo’ak and Neteyam surfacing after their first diving attempt, and the Metkayina kids antagonizing the Sully kids after their first attempt at diving.  It should be noted that the “keep up forest boy” dialogue from Aonung that plays over the last of these clips is not from this scene (that we have seen), and is likely taken from another.

Up next is a bit of dialogue from Aonung saying “if you want to live here, you have to ride”, which is also taken from one of the scenes shown at D23.  This bit of dialogue plays over Kiri meeting and bonding with an Ilu, bonding with it, and then a separate shot of Tsireya showing Lo’ak how to bond with an Ilu. The next shot of Lo’ak saying “let’s do it” is unquestionably taken from another scene, given that the background is different and his hair is tied up, where it wasn’t in the previous shot.  From there we jump back to the Ilu training with Lo’ak, who seems to overconfidently prepare himself to ride the Ilu as if he was riding an Ikran.  Safe to say after a few shots of him struggling to hold on, falling off, and Aonung laughing at him underwater, he didn’t nail it the first time.  We even have a reaction shot of Tsireya giggling, although she seems much further out of the water than she was in the previous shots, so it might not be from the same scene.

After those shenanigans, it seems like Tsireya give Lo’ak another chance to ride (or it may be from the previous set of shots).  We hear a voiceover from her saying “just breathe, breathe”, which is actually from her lines in the swimming preview scene from the remaster. Her voiceover ends with a shot of Lo’ak seeming to ready himself to ride the Ilu.

​From here we cut to a shot of a forest Na’vi with five fingers tightening a strap on their water mount.  From the shots before the first guess would be Lo’ak, but checking the structure of the loincloth and the fact that no one uses a leather strap for an Ilu, this is likely Jake learning to ride his Skimwing.

​After that, there is a quick cut to black followed by the music swelling to a plethora of shots, with a Metkayina and forest Na'vi launching their Ilu out of the water, likely hunting. We have another set of shots of Tsireya leading Kiri and Tuk on a little adventure with their Ilu, with all of them having a great time.  We revisit another shot from the original teaser of Lo’ak skimming the surface of the water from below while riding on Payakan’s fin, and a shot of Tonowari riding his Skimwing (not in battle garb) above the water while surrounded by Tulkun.  We get another callback to the official trailer of Lo’ak talking to Tsireya saying “outcast, that’s all they see” gesturing to his hand, as well as the shot of him getting tackled.  These two shots are matched by a shot of what seems to be Jake and Neytiri underwater, grabbing each other’s hand, and Tsireya holding Lo’ak’s hand and saying “I see you” to him. Following up those shots, we have a gorgeous shot of Lo’ak and other Metkayina member riding their Ilu through a pod of Tulkun, which is as beautiful and chaotic as it sounds.

The next shot is a huge one in terms of spoilers, so turn back now if you want to save this surprise for when you go see the film.

​The next shot shows at least 3 recoms flying Ikran above the water, dressed up with RDA gear.  The one at the focus seems to be our recom antagonist Miles Quaritch, with Spider at the front of his Ikran.  Plenty of speculation has been going around about Spider’s story, given that he seems to be a major player going by the character posters, and yet we’ve barely had any shots in the trailers focus on him.  We know from D23 footage that he is captured by Quaritch before the Sully family flees, and that he is present at the assault on the Metkayina village from a shot in the official trailer.  Where Spider’s story goes, what he does, and his overall arc has been hidden from us save for these few shots.  Whatever it is, there is a strong chance it will be a major focus of the movie, and we won’t know until the day of.

​From there, we jump back to two shots of a conversation between Jake and Neteyam in the Omatikya forests, ready for battle.  Neteyam argues that “I’m a warrior like you, I’m supposed to fight”, with an Ikran behind him, and Jake looking concerned as he tells them this.  Neteyam strives to be a hero like his father, and it seems to lead him to wanting to endlessly prove himself and make rash decisions.

Things take a darker turn with the next few shots, as we see the massive Sea Dragon leave Bridgehead and followed by some Seawasps, to panicked Metkayina watching their home be burned by human and recom alike, and a time jump back to Neytiri begging Jake to “Protect the people”, whilst holding her father’s bow with both of her hands on the eve of the Sullys fleeing.  It should be noted for that last shot, there is a digital display behind her, but it is difficult to tell what it is showing.

​The tension with the music only ramps up from here, with plenty of action shots to go.  We see Neytiri jumping off her Ikran to do a summersault down a set of stairs on the sea dragon and shoot her bow, some kind of RDA transport (tag says 42-DM) on a bridge flipping over as the bridge is destroyed, an Ilu making beautiful bioluminescent swirls in the nighttime water, and obviously pissed off Quaritch whipping around, wielding his knife, and Jake slipping off his leather harness as he fails to handle the intense underwater speeds of his aquatic mount.

We get a breather with the music for a fraction of a second to return with a shot of Jake at the forefront, likely during the final battle, saying “let’s get it done” and charging forward, with what looks like Neytiri, Kiri, Tuk, and Spider in the water behind him.  Neytiri matches the badassery as the music picks up, taking off on her Ikran at night, fire around her, and an unidentifiable Na’vi on the ground in front of her.  We then see Payakan enacting his massive back flop onto the Sea Dragon form the previous trailer, crushing a number of RDA personnel.  It then seems like he slaps the Sea Dragon upwards, as the next shot shows Lo’ak, Tuk, Tsireya and other incapacitated RDA personnel starting to lift off the ground.  We cut back to a chase sequence from the official trailer, with Kiri holding onto Tuk as tight as she can while they are racing through kelp forests, followed by a shot as crab suit mech knocks away one of those leaves to close in on what might be a hiding place.  There is another shot of Lo’ak drawing his knife and facing down an Akula, and a shot of Jake starting to get the hang of riding his Skimwing, and we finally close on Neytiri rocketing down on her Ikran, readying her bow to shoot through the glass of a Seawasp cockpit.

And just like that, roll credits on the final full-length trailer we will receive before Avatar: The Way of Water premieres in just over 20 days! Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below! Thank you for reading along, and to guest-writer TheAllPowerfulSteve for putting this breakdown together.

The official trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water is (finally) here, and with it comes the most deep look at James Cameron's magnum opus that we have seen yet. While it didn't quite go the route of previous Cameron trailers and spoil the entire film, several major plot threads have finally surfaced- giving hints at what's in store for Cameron's long-awaited return to blockbuster filmmaking. Come along as we dive into the latest trailer and fish for details about The Way of Water.

The very first thing we're greeted with is a shot of several Metkayina clan members diving into the oceans of Pandora, with Bailey Bass' Tsireya front and center. Viewers who saw the Avatar remaster in theaters last month may recognize this scene as one of three that was teased in the credits of the remaster. This clip highlights the differences between the Metkayina Na'vi and the Omatikaya Na'vi that we are familiar with from Avatar- namely their adapted physiology for ocean life.

Almost more captivating than the opening shot is composer Simon Franglen's score- a haunting take on the "I See you" theme from the first film hummed by a solo singer and accompanied by an ambient synth. Franglen has large shoes to fill taking over from composer James Horner, who tragically died in a plane crash in 2015. However, his immediate use of a familiar motif from Horner's score perfectly treads the line between respecting Horner's work and building on it.

The scene continues, showcasing the spectacular oceanic life on Pandora, before climaxing on a shot of Sigourney Weaver's young character, Kiri. This trailer is heavily focused around Weaver's mysterious character, who is described as the "adoptive daughter of Jake and Neytiri". It seems that Kiri will be central to The Way of Water's family-centric story.

After the studio cards roll, we're again greeted by a familiar shot- this time from the first teaser. The scene continues, however, and we're treated to a near-humorous depiction of Neytiri finding the balance between her roles as hunter and mother. The Avatar sequels are poised to follow the story of Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri's family as they find strength in each other and protect their home. Cameron's decision to depict pregnant mothers as strong, fierce and capable is a theme in The Way of Water, with Kate Winslet's Ronal also carrying a child during the events of the film- even into battle.

Kiri returns in the next shot, startling several fan lizards from a leaf as she spins through the forests of Pandora. This scene showcases her "carefree" life at the beginning of the film- in which Weaver has described Kiri as "[a] free urchin at the beginning, [with] a kind of golden life there, even though they’re at war and in hiding." Her voice accompanies the end of the shot, marking the beginning of the trailer's spoken lines with a single word: "dad".

"Dad", as it turns out, is Jake Sully- the protagonist from the first film. The trailer moves to establish the context of the conversation being used for the voice over- a one-on-one exchange between Jake and Kiri. Below them, the neon-bioluminescence of Pandora's oceans is in full glow. Brightly colored fish swim and circle, some seemingly drawn to Kiri's dangling feet. Kiri continues "I know you think I'm crazy", before the trailer pivots to the past again.

Interlaced with Kiri's voice over is a shot of younger Jake and his eldest son, Neteyam, played by Jamie Flanders, learning to hunt fish with a bow. Other than serving to give us another glimpse at early family life for the Sullys, we can also see that Neteyam takes after his native mother, 4 fingers, no eyebrows and all. It's a touching glimpse into a period of peace, without the human threat.

The next scene is one of the most perplexing ones in the trailer. Kiri's line continues, "but I feel her", and with the Tree of Souls as the visual it's clear she's referring to Eywa- the Na'vi goddess of Pandora. However, what ceremony is this? Mo'at is present, and it appears that Eytukan may be there as well- which would indicate a flashback as Eytukan died during the bombing of Hometree in Avatar. There's not a lot to go on at this time.

Now the pacing of the trailer really starts to pick up. The music shifts away from the familiar and into the new, and we get a shot of Spider (Jack Champion), Tuktirey (Trinity Bliss) and Kiri (Weaver) and one other person running along a forest trail. Tuk, the youngest Sully kid, stops to play with a gnarly looking plant that responds to her presence, much like the flora from the first film.

Drums pounding, Kiri continues "I hear her heartbeat" as we glimpse her lying unconscious in a clearing- atokirina' hovering around her. She appears to have made tsaheylu, the bond, with Pandora itself. The grass ripples out from her in waves. This is the first of several indications in this trailer that there's more to Kiri than meets the eye, and that she has a deeper connection to Pandora than the other characters around her.

More visual flare, this time a nighttime fly-date between Jake and Neytiri while Kiri continues "she's so close", again referring to Eywa. There isn't a lot in the way of gauging the timeline on this shot, however it very likely could be Jake and Neytiri celebrating their first pregnancy. It certainly doesn't look like two tired parents getting some alone time!

Another shot from the teaser, this time of Lo'ak, played by Britain Dalton, and Payakan- a Tulkun. The Tulkun are revered by the Metkayina Na'vi as brothers, and inspire their pacifistic way. A connection between Lo'ak and Payakan is being hinted at here, though to what extent remains to be seen.

A brief lull in the score as Jake asks Kiri "so what does her heartbeat sound like"? We are transported underwater to a brightly-lit ocean forest. The plants here bear a strong resemblance to the Trees of Voices or Tree of Souls, which the Na'vi use to commune with Eywa and their ancestors. As if to confirm this theory, Kiri makes tsaheylu with a frond, and a heartbeat sounds. It is likely this is the "Cove of the Ancestors", which we've seen referenced in other media. The Metkayina equivalent of the Tree of Souls.

Now we hear the triumph in Franglen's score, as Kiri responds to Jake's question with an emphatic "mighty". We are immediately thrust into a high energy scene featuring Cliff Curtis' Tonowari, the Metkayina chieftain, soaring on the back of his Skimwing mount. Two mighty Tulkun leap from the ocean alongside Tonowari as a part of a possible ritual or rite of passage. We see Tonowari soar over a group of bystanders on the shore in a second shot.

Several quick shots intercut with text stingers, one of the Cove of the Ancestors and another of the Sully kids riding Ilu alongside several of the Metkayina. Learning to ride an Ilu is similar to learning to ride a Direhorse, and it is likely we will see that experience as a way of becoming familiar with the Metkayina culture.

Finally, we start to get our first glimpses of the conflict- and this is where the most meat is in the trailer. Immediately following the Ilu scene is a quick clip of an RDA "Recom" and AMP Lite running up the deck of a flaming ship. Moments later, a cut of Jake surfacing from below the waves, flaming wreckage visible behind him. There's blood seeping down his temple, meaning this is well into whatever battle is underway.

Tragedy strikes as the trailer pivots to give us a good glimpse of the RDA's retaliation against the Omatikaya for the events of Avatar. A forest ablaze, Ikran fleeing the flames and smoke. Jake and Neytiri look on in helplessness. This is likely very early on in the film, and will establish the consequences for Jake's heroism in the first film while also setting the stakes for the coming conflict.

If there's any shot in this trailer that's the money shot, plot wise, it's this one. Colonel Miles Quaritch, reprised by Stephen Lang, holds a human skull in the palm of his now-blue hand. The overzealous antagonist from Avatar is back, resurrected into an avatar body as a Recombiant. That skull he's holding is very likely his own, and with a grimace he crushes it with a quick squeeze of his fist.

Lang sells this shot. You can see a mixture of pain and confusion that gives way to rage. Quaritch has become the very thing he hates, and is permanently stuck that way. We can only imagine what that may drive him to do.

Following, a quick glimpse of several Recoms evacuating. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot like this, it would be easy to miss Spider, the human teen living among the Na'vi. Spider is riding on the back of one of the Recoms into​ the human ship. While earlier speculation had us believe that Spider was going to be captured by the RDA, this new footage makes us believe he may actually defect to the RDA.

Spider is a complex character. A human raised among the Na'vi, but unable to truly be a part of their culture. Is he being lured or tempted to join the humans, or does he want to go of his own accord, to try his hand with his actual people? Only time will tell.

Next up is the conflict between Jake and the Metkayina. We get a glimpse of their arrival to the ocean clan's territory, met with Tonowari explaining "we cannot let you bring your war here".

We know that Jake and Neytiri are seeking uturu, sanctuary, and that by invoking that request the Metkayina are reluctantly forced to harbor them. This is explained by Lo'ak, who says "outcasts! that's all they see" over a clip of him getting laid out by one of the Metkayina youth in either a sparring match or full-out fight.

Tsireya, Bailey Bass' character, reassures Lo'ak with an "I See you", a familiar line from the first film. From scenes in the other teaser, it seems that like his father before him, there may be some level of forbidden connection brewing between Lo'ak and Tsireya, the princess of the Metkayina clan.

Several more flavor shots. One from the teaser, the Sully family flying over the Metkayina reef as the "I See you" theme returns in force. Then, another glimpse of a Tulkun and one of the Metkayina sacred sites. Lastly, a scene of the kids riding Ilu at night while one says "the way of water connects all things" (roll credits!).

Jake and Tonowari arrive at a level of mutual respect. Jake is scraped and cut, so it's likely this shot occurs sometime after the final battle.

​Next is a glimpse of one of the RDA's new seafaring vessels, unfolding neatly to show us their new toys. Our first glimpse of the new CET-OPS crab mech is also in this shot. The trailer quickly counters by giving us a glimpse of Ronal, played by Kate Winslet, riding into battle on the back of her own Skimwing. Similar to Neytiri early in the trailer, Ronal is also carrying an unborn child.

The Metkayina voice over continues. As an unknown speaker says "before your birth", we get a glimpse of a Na'vi baby floating in the sea, a Tulkun looking on closely.

"And after your death," continues the speaker, against this distressing shot of the Metkayina being rounded up by Recoms- a dead Ilu floating in the water and shelters ablaze. Spider is visible walking with the Recoms towards a set of Ikran, ones that they possibly have tamed themselves in a bastardized version of the Omatikaya Iknimaya trials.

A tense underwater chase follows. Kiri and Tuktirey flee a CET-OPS crab mech, and Tuk is ripped off of Kiri's Ilu by a wayward kelp frond. The shot turns to Lo'ak, who looks back helplessly before being confronted by another crab mech. We're getting strong "they're about to get captured" vibes here.

Neytiri and Jake have a bit of an argument, with Neytiri exclaiming "this is our home!" The trailer jumps immediately to a connected series of shots of Neytiri and Tuk escaping a sinking vessel. This is likely a rescue attempt after the previously mentioned capture, and nobody does water horror like James Cameron.

"I need you with me, and I need you to be strong," Jake tells Neytiri. She's wearing the same outfit visible in the previous clips of her and Tuk escaping, which puts this scene in close proximity to the rescue.

This sets off the climax of the trailer, and there are a lot of details in these final few sequences. Firstly, Kiri appears to be able to channel her connection with Pandora to some effect. Rotxo and Aunong look on in shock.

Next, a Tulkun smashes the hell out of an RDA ship, possibly the one pictured earlier in the trailer. Several Recoms are visible on board, as are Lo'ak, Tuk and one other kid- apparently being held hostage. Quaritch is also front and center on deck.

Then, we get a very quick glimpse of a battle between the Metkayina and the RDA as Jake and the other warriors attempt to take down several gunboats.

And finally, another money shot of Neytiri swooping in on the back of her Ikran, leaping the fight and loosing an arrow at a target offscreen. This flaming wreckage appears to be an RDA ship, and several Recoms are visible on board. (This may also be Hell's Gate, early in the film)

We get a brief moment of black, and then a powerful resolution to Jake and Neytiri's conversation from before. "Strong heart", Jake says, which is a tear-inducingcall back to their first encounter a decade ago. Emboldened, Neytiri takes up her bow, and that's a wrap!

With this much to go on, we're bound​ to have missed some things. See anything we did? Let us know on Discord, where most of this theorycrafting took place! See how Avatar: The Way of Water​ unfolds in December, and be sure to check back to see how we did!

Update: The trailer arrival has now been officially confirmed via the @avatar account on Instagram! The original story is below.

On the morning of October 29th, news broke that the next Avatar: The Way of Water trailer would be premiering exclusively during the Good Morning America broadcast on November 2nd. The source of the news was vetted: ABC's own programming schedule. After widespread reporting, however, fans began to notice that the line referencing the trailer premiere was removed from ABC's PR schedule. So what's up with the Avatar trailer premiere?

There are several possible explanations for the removal of the Avatar trailer from the programming schedule.

The first reason is that the reveal of the premiere was premature. Disney has been playing details about The Way of Water very close to the chest. There are less than 48 days remaining until its December 16th release date. Tickets are still not on sale, and the final runtime is not confirmed. Director James Cameron is known for working right up to the buzzer, so it remains to be seen if the mystery surrounding the film is a calculated attempt at driving interest in it, or due to other factors. If the reveal was premature, we will expect to see official confirmation from other Disney sources early next week.

The other reason? The reveal of the premiere was incorrect. The logistics of ensuring every piece of information that passes through the Disney media conglomerate is up-to-date is unthinkable. According to insiders with knowledge of Disney's marketing plan, the premiere of the Avatar: The Way of Water story trailer has been highly in flux, with several options on the table. It is likely that the plans to premiere the trailer changed without warning, and the ABC PR team did not update the programming schedule to reflect the changes until after the schedule was picked up by media sources.

Regardless, we'll be waiting with baited breath at 7:00am EDT on the off chance that the next trailer does still premiere during Wednesday's GMA broadcast! Avatar: The Way of Water sails into theaters on December 16th.

Kelutral has reached out to ABC's PR team regarding the programming modification. No response has been received at this time.

The 20th Century Studios presentation just wrapped in Anaheim California at Disney's D23 Expo and with it came several new tidbits of information about the upcoming sequel(s).

Six scenes, totaling 13 minutes of exclusive footage from AVATAR: The Way of Water was shown to attendees in Dolby 3D. The first scene was described as a showcase of the beauty of Pandora, with Na'vi swimming in the water and Na'vi children playing with alien fish.

The second scene is the one pictured above, featuring discussion between the Sully kids as to who Kiri's father was. Kiri herself refers to Dr. Grace Augustine as "ma", complicating some fan theories about Kiri's origins and purpose in the sequels. Also of note, Spider says "sometimes it's not great to know who your father is." Recent theories that Spider may be Stephen Lang's Colonel Miles Quaritch's son have been gaining traction. Could this be further proof?

The third scene pulls back the curtain on some of the tension in the film, with a group of RDA "recoms" in the forests of Pandora at night. The recoms are holding a group of Na'vi children (and one human, which makes it safe to assume these are the Sully kids) hostage. Fighting erupts as Neytiri and a group of Na'vi hunters ambush the recoms to save the kids. A tense showdown between Quaritch and Neytiri has her threatening to kill Quaritch as many times as necessary to ensure her family's safety.

The next scene zeroes in on the conversation between Jake and Neytiri from the teaser, with Neytiri urging Jake to flee the continued danger of Quaritch and his men. All of the Sully children have been rescued with one exception- Spider. Piecing together the clues we have so far, this is strong evidence to support that Spider is going to (at least temporarily) side with the RDA, perhaps in exchange for his own recom Na'vi body.

The final scenes give a glimpse of the Metkayina tribe on the coast. Kate Winslet's character Ronal instructs the Sully kids on the "Tulkun way", part of their culture. After this discussion, the Sully kids are shown learning to ride Ilu, with their instructor explaining that "if you want to live here, you have to ride!"

No formal trailer was shown, so it remains to be seen if the next trailer will be released online between now and September 23rd, or if it (and these exclusive scenes) will be somehow attached to the AVATAR remaster that is returning to theaters later this month. Regardless, we're able to glean some additional details about the plot of The Way of Water that have left us more than curious about what Cameron has in store for us in December!

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for the latest AVATAR news, and join us on Discord to discuss your theories with us in more depth!