Hi-res images from Avatar: The Way of Water have arrived offering new looks at Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and Jake Sully’s (Sam Worthington) kids Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), Lo’ak (Britain Dalton), Tuktirey (Trinity Jo-Li Bliss) and Kiri. In addition, behind-the-scenes stills of James Cameron on set and a teasing shot of the making of an underwater sequence with Kate Winslet and Sigourney Weaver for a sub-aqua performance capture.

Avatar: The Way of Water will introduce a new world unfamiliar even for Na’vi’s, the Metkayina clan existing below the Pandoran Ocean. So the upcoming sequel will feature a plethora of underwater exploration with scenes of bio reef and new aquatic creatures like the Whale-Esque Tulkun though with features like a dog and what’s more, it’s a sentient being that befriends one of Sully’s kids. Readers can check it below.

Luckily, the new hi-res stills from Empire August 2022 issue offer a glimpse of Cameron’s world-building, the Pandora wildlife expanding further than 2009’s Avatar. However, it also means more of the RDA which returns stronger with a big city base called Bridgehead set up near the coastline. Their intentions are to reap the oceans’ resources.

Speaking of RDA, Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) but no longer a human – his memories are transferred into a genetically autonomous avatar so he will be hunting Na’vi in their form. As Lang put it, “He’s bigger, he’s bluer, he’s pissed off,” The earlier trailer also showed a bare glimpse of his blue alien feature which prompted questions if he’s changed sides but even his new form has an eagle tattoo on his shoulder, a reminder of where his true allegiance lies.

Avatar: The Way of Water has been making the rounds on the internet since Cameron’s bold comment on the film’s three-hour runtime. Even so, some have remained skeptical if the director can pull off the same magic that made the first film the biggest box office earner by far with $2.8 billion and counting.