New ‘Avatar 2’ Image Shows Off The Underwater Motion-Capture Process
The firstAvatarpushed the limits of 3D, and the second will seek to do the same with motion-capture technology.Avatar 2is set to hit theaters more than a decade after James Cameron’s record-setting blockbuster, a delay that is partially due to the cutting-edge motion-capture technology that Cameron developed to depict a new underwater world. Now, a new behind-the-scenesAvatar 2image has been released showing the cast of the sci-fi action film using that very technology.
Avatar 2 Image
From the set of the sequels:@ZoeSaldana, Sam Worthington, Kate Winslet, and Cliff Curtis taking a break from underwater performance capture for a quick photo!
Fun fact: Much of the performance capture took place in this 900,000 gallon tank, built specifically for the sequels.pic.twitter.com/NSfqoZ6jXJ
— Avatar (@officialavatar)July 09, 2025
The officialAvatarTwitter released a behind-the-scenes image of starsSam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet,andCliff Curtistaking a break from thenew motion-capture underwater systemdeveloped forAvatar 2. While we’ve heard and read all about how this is cutting-edge technology that has only been perfected recently, the image naturally doesn’t look all that impressive — mostly because the stars are wearing goofy-looking helmets while floating in a tank filled with tiny plastic balls. The floaties and standard motion-capture dots on the stars' faces also don’t help make them look any cooler. But the end result will likely look as fantastic as the 2009 film that captured the imaginations of audiences worldwide to the tune of $2.7 billion.
“Fun fact: Much of the performance capture took place in this 900,000 gallon tank, built specifically for the sequels,” theAvatarTwitter revealed, teasing more of the scope of the massive sets that Cameron built for the film in New Zealand.
Production on the fourAvatarsequels, which were shooting back-to-back in New Zealand,was put on pausein March due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but Cameron and crew have continued chugging on remotely, with the New Zealand-based WETA Digital continuing to work on the movies' visual effects. Theslow re-opening of overseas productionshave given Cameron confidence thatAvatar 2canstill make its December 2021 releasedate, and the recent release of a string of behind-the-scenesimagesof the set supports that.
TheAvatarsequels are bringing back the original movie’s cast membersSam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, andMatt Gerald. But there are several new cast members in the mix as well, includingKate Winslet, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, Vin Diesel, Jemaine Clement, andOona Chaplin. There’s alsoa whole group of young actorsplaying Na’vi children in the movie.
Avatar 2is aiming for aDecember 27, 2021release, and three more sequels are set to quickly follow in December 2023, December 2025, and December 2027.
