James Cameron on bringing Avatar’s immersive experience back to the big screen

Twelve years since its release, James Cameron’s Avatar is all set to return to the theatres for a re-release on September 23, 2022, at a higher frame rate and in High Dynamic Range. Addressing a global press conference organized by the Walt Disney Studios, Cameron says a whole new generation of moviegoers haven’t seen the film the way it was supposed to, and finally, they will get to with the remastered 4K High Dynamic Range format.

“It’s been 12 years since the release, and if you’re kind of under 22 or 23 years of age, it’s very unlikely that you’ve seen the film in a movie theatre. We authored the film for the big screen. Now, it can be finally watched the way we intended to,” he said.

The film will be available for a two-week limited engagement. A new trailer of the movie was also released by 20 ^th Century on their Twitter handle.

“The film is only as good as the people in it. It took us out of our everyday chaos and put us into the world of science fiction. The universality of the film’s characters is relatable even today,” Cameron says. “The whole film was an immersive experience, and I want to bring this experience to the audience again in a way it was planned,” he adds.

The epic sci-fi film’s re-release comes three months before the arrival of its much-anticipated sequel Avatar: The Way of Water on December 16. Written and directed by the Academy Award winner , Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver among others. The film was produced by Cameron and Jon Landau. Nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, the film won three Oscars, for Best Cinematography, Production Design and Visual Effects.

Worthington, who essays the role of Jake Sully, says, the sense of belonging is what makes the film relatable. “It’s like a five-year-old kid in a big play pit, with the boss saying, ’Get to it,’ and that was the job, and it was so much fun doing it.” Saldana, who portrays Neytiri, goes on a nostalgic trip and says she was changing the dirty diaper of her niece when she got the call for Avatar. “I can’t forget the phone call I got before Avatar. It’s been a magical journey, being a part of it.”

“In my mind, Neytiri and her people represent our better selves in how they live in their world — in symbiosis, empathy and harmony,” Cameron adds. “This is something to which we should all aspire. To that end, I think the story celebrates a connection to the environment, maybe at a time when we’ve lost touch with it.”

The character of Neytiri points to Cameron’s interest in creating strong female characters, and Sigourney, who plays Dr Augustine, the scientist who runs the Avatar Program, says she reflects this. “I’m just proud to be a part of the science of all of this. It’s truly an inspiration for women in science,” she says.

For Michelle, playing Trudy Chacon was a different experience altogether. “Being on the set, there was the example of leadership right there. Watching Jim inspire everyone in their field, whether it’s engineers, whether it’s people in the art department, to do their best, it was all so good.”

In early May, the makers revealed the first teaser trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water, shortly after CinemaCon, the annual gathering of theatre owners. Worthington and Saldana return as Jake Sully and Neytiri, respectively, as the film’s story focuses on the two primary protagonists, their families and the lengths they go to keep each other safe.

Avatar: The Way of Water will also mark the return of Sigourney as Dr. Grace Augustine and Lang as Colonel Miles Quaritch. The new entrants include Vin Diesel and Kate Winslet, who had famously starred in Cameron’s 1997 hit Titanic.