Avatar: The Way of Water is preparing to transport audiences into a one-of-a-kind immersive experience yet to be seen in the theater. The sequel, 13 years in the making, will move away from the lush jungles of Pandora, focusing on the underwater life that makes up most of the moon. Avatar displayed a variety of jaw-dropping creatures when the film hit theaters in 2009, and director James Cameron plans to mesmerize audiences once again with his 2022 release.

The trailers, which premiered leading up to The Way of Water, have shown audiences what to expect from the ocean life of Pandora, though fans can be sure to be surprised with the full film. The official IMAX poster was recently released from the Avatar Twitter account, giving audiences another look at the stunning aquatic life that awaits. In the poster, fans can see massive whale-like creatures, an abundance of brightly colored coral, and other alien inhabitants. The IMAX poster can be found below.

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Avatar: The of Water is facing enormous pressure as the project has been in some form of development for the better part of a decade. The rumored budget is so large that the film will need to be in the top 5 most successful movies of all time to make a profit, with a payday of $2 billion being almost a requirement. The first movie still holds the top spot for the highest-grossing film of all time, though James Cameron hopes to break his record next month. Avatar: The Way of Water arrives in theaters on Dec. 16.

James Cameron Waited for the Technology to Catch Up to His Ambition

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There’s a reason Avatar: The Way of Water took so long to make, and it’s not because James Cameron is lazy. In fact, Cameron was so ambitious with his sequel ideas that they weren’t feasible ten years ago. A large portion of the movie will occur in or under the water, with the crew needing new and improved motion capture suits to make it work. The director discussed the new technology in the past, saying, “It’s never been done before.”

Cameron plans for three more movies following The Way of Water, though the fourth and fifth will rely on a successful box office run from the prior films. So will Avatar continue its dominance at the theater? Audiences will find out on Dec. 16.

“Well, we’re doing it. It’s never been done before and it’s very tricky because our motion capture system, like most motion capture systems, is what they call optical base, meaning that it uses markers that are photographed with hundreds of cameras. The problem with water is not the underwater part, but the interface between the air and the water, which forms a moving mirror. That moving mirror reflects all the dots and markers, and it creates a bunch of false markers. It’s a little bit like a fighter plane dumping a bunch of chaff to confuse the radar system of a missile. It creates thousands of false targets, so we’ve had to figure out how to get around that problem, which we did. Basically, whenever you add water to any problem, it just gets ten times harder. So, we’ve thrown a lot of horsepower, innovation, imagination and new technology at the problem, and it’s taken us about a year and a half now to work out how we’re going to do it.”