John Landau, the producer of Avatar: The Way of Water recently revealed new details about the unique aquatic creatures that will be seen in the upcoming James Cameron directorial.
With the release of the trailer of the upcoming sequel, fans got a glimpse into the world of Pandora, the fictional world where Avatar is set in. While the first film focused on the native terrestrial fauna of Pandora, The Way of Water is all set to have extensive underwater scenes.
Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña will be reprising their roles as Jake Sully and Neytiri in the film. The cast also features new actors, including Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, and Kate Winslet.
In a recent interview with the Empire, producer John Landau revealed some new details about the underwater creatures of Pandora to be seen in the upcoming film.
The new aquatic species are named tulkun, skimwing, and the ilu. Although these creatures have many features common to some Earthly creatures, they also have characteristics unique to the Pandora world.
In the trailer, the tulkun can be seen as a massive whale-like species, while the skimwing were depicted swimming into battle. In Landau’s words, the ilu are the “water equivalent of the direhorse” and are supposed to be “more playful than skimwings”. Landau explained,
The idea was to create a creature that was on the scale of Pandora. A tulkun is, like, 300 feet long. They are a sentient species and as intelligent in their own way as the Na’vi are in theirs. […] [A skimwing is] like a giant flying fish that keeps its tail in the water—its tail is its propulsion. The Metkayina [water tribe] and all the reef people use them as their military mounts when they’re going into combat. They can go 60 miles per hour for endless periods of time.
John Landau
The world of Avatar: The Way of Water was created with the utmost care, and each of these creatures has a well-defined role in the ecosystem of Pandora. After the massive praise the first film’s CGI received, Cameron had to master underwater motion-capture technology to film Avatar 2.
While the CGI is one of the main attractions of the film, the focus on specific details and the process of Cameron’s world-building is also noteworthy. Cameron’s team even developed a new language for the Na’vi and the first film introduced us to a diverse range of flora and fauna.
Avatar: The Way of Water will release in theatres on December 16, 2022.
About Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water is an upcoming American epic science fiction film directed by James Cameron and produced by 20th Century Studios. It is the second film in Cameron’s Avatar franchise, following Avatar (2009).
Cameron produces with Jon Landau. Cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald are all reprising their roles from the original film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a different role. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, and CJ Jones.
Avatar 2 revolves around a universal concept of family and follows Jake Sully and Neytiri 14 years after the first film as they focus on protecting their child. However, they are forced to leave their home and explore the different regions of Pandora when an old threat returns to finish what they started. Jake has never faced a bigger challenge.
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