After his 2020 sci-fi film Tenet, Christopher Nolan is back with the new biopic Oppenheimer, which has just released its official trailer. The new film follows the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer who must risk destroying the world in order to save it.
Watch the trailer for Oppenheimer below:
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer follows the eponymous man who was dubbed the father of the atomic bomb.
The film stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and Rami Malek. Oppenheimer is coming to US cinemas on July 21, 2023.
Cinemalaya is now accepting entries for the Short Film category for its 2023 edition.
Interested filmmakers must submit their application on or before March 3, 2023 (Friday), 6:00 p.m. They may submit their requirements either online by following the official link at https://bit.ly/Cinemalaya2023ShortFilmCallforEntries or onsite at the Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division (FBNMD), Design Center of the Philippines (CCP Annex) at Vicente Sotto St. corner Magdalena Jalandoni St., Pasay City.
For online submission, requirements include online entry form, uploaded film, and filmmaker’s profile.
For offsite submission, entries must include: the duly completed application form; the final work in MP4 format with violator saved on USB, properly labeled with the title, production company address and contact numbers, production date, director’s name and running time; synopsis in English; and a brief résumé and two (2) recent 2×2 photos of the filmmaker(s). Entries must be submitted in a long brown envelope properly labeled with the proponent’s name, title and contact details.
The 10 best short films will be informed on May 26, 2023, and will compete for the Best Short Film award during the 2023 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival on August 4 to 13, 2023.
Fresh from its successful 18th edition, Cinemalaya is an all-digital film competition that aims to discover, encourage and support the cinematic works of Filipino filmmakers that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.
In a city of millions, no one hears you scream. Check out the official teaser trailer for Paramount Pictures’ “Scream VI”, in Philippine theaters March 8, 2023.
Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter. In Scream VI, Melissa Barrera (“Sam Carpenter”), Jasmin Savoy Brown (“Mindy Meeks-Martin”), Mason Gooding (“Chad Meeks-Martin”), Jenna Ortega (“Tara Carpenter”), Hayden Panettiere (“Kirby Reed”) and Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) return to their roles in the franchise alongside Jack Champion, Henry Czerny, Liana Liberato, Dermot Mulroney, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Josh Segarra, and Samara Weaving.
Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group Present A Project X Entertainment Production, A Radio Silence Film, Scream VI.
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein, written by James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick, based on characters created by Kevin Williamson.
Scream VI is distributed in the Philippines by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Connect with #Scream6 and tag @paramountpicsph
Photo & Video Credit: “Paramount Pictures International”
There is no question that James Cameron can deliver a truly cinematic experience. From the first two films of the ‘Terminator’ franchise, to his installment of ‘Aliens,’ the massively epic ‘Titanic,’ or even the lesser-known ‘Abyss’ (which has to be seen with the director’s cut), James Cameron knows how to tell a story with a camera. His pacing, choice of narrative beats, attention to detail, and the way he fills each shot with such care for the story all amount to a very satisfying time in the cinema. It doesn’t matter if he can get cheesy (like in ‘Titanic’) or even basic and by-the-numbers (like the inescapable comparisons of the first ‘Avatar’ to films like ‘Pocahontas’ or even the animated movie ‘Fern Gully’), when you are in that cinema and watching his movies, you will be beguiled and entranced by what he puts on screen.
And that’s exactly what you get with Avatar: The Way of Water. His sequel to his 2009 massive hit ‘Avatar,’ expands the world of Pandora and follows the story of Jake Sully and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and their growing family. In the 6-minute opening sequence, we catch up on the events that happened after the first film as Sam Worthington narrates as Jake Sully, the former soldier who, in the body of a Na’vi, has become the Toruk Makto, a war leader for the Na’vi. We discover that Jake’s family has grown with the addition of four children (one is an adopted daughter from a ‘miraculous birth’) and that the life of a Na’vi seems very much in agreement with Jake.
Except, the humans come back, with a larger force and an even more insidious means by which to oppose the native forces that fight against them. In an attempt to protect the forest and their tribe, Jake takes his whole family and brings them to the south to the lands of the reef people. The reef people are Na’vi (with a light green skin color) and biology more suited to living in the water. But Jake left because the marines are after him and, of course, they come looking for him and Jake must fight to protect his family (and newfound tribe) from the human forces.
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a 193-minute immersive science fiction epic that truly brings us deeper into the world of Pandora and shows us what lies beneath the crashing waves of Pandora’s seas. We were first made to experience the joy of flight in the first movie as Jake discovers the joys of flying with his winged beast. In ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ James Cameron explores the beauty of the ocean depths of his fictional world through Jake Sully’s children.
He takes his bloody time to show us the lush fauna and flora of this new aspect of Pandora while building upon the new characters he has brought into the sequel. His children become friends with the chief of the reef Na’vi and all the kids take a familiar archetype – there’s the dutiful eldest son, the troubled middle child, the special adopted child, and the innocent youngest – but because we spend so much time with them and get to explore this gorgeous world together, we begin to forgive them for their annoying habits (they are typical children after all) and we cheer them on when they do achieve something.
There’s a clean, old-school storytelling that James Cameron employs in his film structure that no matter how much he dawdles plot-wise, we are constantly filled with wonder, character work, and narrative placement that when the climax happens, we are excited, invested, and completely spellbound to the whole ride. Even at 3 hours, I did not once see someone stand up to rush to the bathroom. We were all transfixed to the screen and followed the story tightly.
And we followed it even if, at some point, we start to see the hollowness of the script. There’s a one-dimensional quality to the film: the humans are capitalist monsters who would destroy everything in their path to get what they want while the Na’vi are the locals, steeped in faux spiritualism that is completely in touch and in tune with nature and the planet. It’s all great on paper but it never becomes a real representation of real-world ideologies. In the end, what is Cameron really saying? That Capitalism is bad and that we have to return to nature? But he doesn’t say how? And, while it is a science fiction film and an adventure, it never really presents the nuances of a possible solution except direct opposition. The film culminates into a huge battle (you can see this in the trailer) and while we can’t wait to see it because we know it’s going to look great, it sort of reduces this whole film into saying that war is the only recourse.
Is Cameron saying that all cultures ravaged by imperialism should fight back? The Na’vi have all manners of cultural traits of our reality’s non-white races. The Na’vi have dreadlocks or braids, speak with an accent, and use spiritualism akin to Asian and African beliefs. The humans are primarily white and have an ideology like the imperialist west. Is ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ a denouncement of western imperialism and a call to action from all oppressed and colonized countries to push back and fight back?
And it doesn’t help that Jake Sully seems to not have grown since the first movie as a person. He begins completely in thrall to his new life as a Na’vi father and a part of a true community but the moment he returns to soldier mode on the return of the humans, we see him quickly return to warrior mode and become a questionable father figure. While Zoe Saldana, as Neytiri, spends most of the movie angry at him or her children. She becomes the stereotypical angry, fierce mother. Where are the two characters who have gone through so much in the first movie?
No, this film is for their children, and interestingly enough, the human child that was born and raised in Pandora. Spider, as he is called, has all the imagery of Tarzan but by way of Pandora and he has his own very interesting character arc to follow.
While I do have a lot of things to say about the story and the ideologies behind the film, I will still stand by the fact that everything about the way this movie appears on screen is just gorgeous. Cameron has used technology in such a way to give us a truly immersive cinematic experience that one of my friends called “like watching a sophisticated video game” and it is like actually being there. In an IMAX 3D cinema, you will be completely overwhelmed (in a good way) about how intricate this world is. I’ve never seen anything like it before. At first, my eyes were not used to seeing a film in such a manner. It looked off and unrealistic but after the first half hour, I was completely drawn into the world.
There are camera angles and movements that I’ve never seen before and as Cameron uses it to explore the gorgeous world beneath the surface of the Pandoran sea, it’s magical. It’s why we go to the movies. You are actually transported into an alien world. It’s the same feeling as watching Cuaron’s ‘Gravity.’ You’re in that moment and you can’t let go.
You have to see it in 3D and, if possible, 3D IMAX to get the full experience of this film. It’s what cinemas were made for.
Experience the amazing world of Pandora like never before as “Avatar: The Way of Water” arrives in cinemas nationwide today. The film makes stunning use of cutting-edge technology that allows viewers to feel as if they are in the blue world itself, showing why it is best seen in 3D, 4D, or IMAX formats!
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is the long-awaited second installment to James Cameron’s Academy Award-winning 2009 epic adventure ‘Avatar,’ the highest grossing film of all time.
Set more than a decade after the first film, “Avatar: The Way of Water” follows the story of the Sully family as they continue to live – Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their children–within the blue world of Pandora. After an old enemy returns and threatens the existence of their world, the Sullies must not only fight to protect their home but also each other. With the Na’vi army on their side, can the Sully family survive not only the battles but also the tragedies that come their way?
Directed by James Cameron, “Avatar: The Way of Water” features a stellar ensemble of new and returning cast members including Sigourney Weaver (“Kiri”), Stephen Lang (“Miles Quaritch”), Cliff Curtis (“Tonowari”), Joel David Moore (“Norm Spellman”), CCH Pounder (“Mo’at”), Edie Falco (“General Frances Ardmore”), Jemaine Clement (“ Dr. Ian Garvin”), Giovanni Ribisi (“Parker Selfridge”), and Kate Winslet (“Ronal”).
The screenplay and story are written by James Cameron, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver, with co-writers Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. The film is produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, with David Valdes and Richard Baneham serving as the executive producers.
“Avatar: The Way of Water” is a must-watch spectacle and is definitely the perfect movie for the holidays. Grab your tickets now and get ready for an action-packed adventure in the world of Pandora!
For more information on showtimes, visit this link. For block and corporate screenings, click here.
Join the conversations online using #AvatarTheWayOfWaterPH. You can also follow 20th Century Studios Philippines on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTubefor more updates.
After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Adam Driver) quickly discovers he’s actually stranded on Earth…65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive.
From the writers of A Quiet Place and producer Sam Raimi comes 65, a sci-fi thriller starring Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, and Chloe Coleman. Written and directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods and produced by Sam Raimi, Deborah Liebling and Zainab Azizi. Also produced by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.
65 is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #65movie
Experience a unique family cinematic experience with Cinema Under the Stars (CUTS), the CCP’s hybrid outdoor cinema, slated on December 17 to 18, 2022, at the CCP Front Lawn.
The hybrid cinema program will have special screenings of selected Cinemalaya and Gawad Alternatibo, as well as films from the CCP Collection. With the limitations brought about by the past year’s quarantine protocols amidst the pandemic, CCP aims to adapt and re-imagine a new and better normal for the film, art, and live-events industries and so this project was designed to be inclusive, productive, and resourcefully planned to overcome those.
On December 17, 6pm, catch the back-to-back screenings of Papetir by Darwin Alegre Noivicio, Andong by Rommel “Milo” Tolentino, and Pepot Artista by Doy del Mundo.
In the short film Papetir, a ventriloquist suddenly finds himself talking with his past during his performance. Will he continue the conversation or remain tight-lipped from a voice long kept?
Short film Andong is a story about pre-juvenile obsession, family dynamics, and the real value of a hard-fought twenty pesos. It follows an obsessed boy who goes into a mad frenzy over the prospect of finally landing the much-coveted love-of-his-life. For a poor boy who only yearns for one thing – and nothing more in his life – this break is, without a doubt, the answer to all his prayers, if only he can convince his mother to give him 20 pesos.
Pepot Artista is a full-length film that focuses on a ten-year-old boy whose dream is to become a movie star. Pepot, the dreamer, is surrounded by people who are equally dazzled by the movie world. The film explores the penchant of Pinoys for entertainment in the midst of serious social problems.
The 8:30pm screenings on December 17 features Si Oddie by Maria Kydylee Torato, Aliens Ata by Karl Glenn Barit, and Ani by Kim Zuñiga and Sandro Del Rosario.
Si Oddie follows a delivery rider who struggles to find his untraceable customer while racing against time in a life and death situation. After asking for an additional delivery to pay for his mother’s medical needs, delivery rider Oddie ends up looking for an oddly unlocatable customer and encounters several people related to her until he crosses paths with someone who will change his day-to-day life as a delivery rider.
In Aliens Ata, two young brothers deal with the sudden loss of their father. Their mother who works overseas returns home for the funeral but will have to depart for work again soon. For the kids, some things are hard to grasp and look to the sky for answers. Could it be aliens?
Sci-fi full-length film Ani is about an orphaned boy Mithi who moves to a farm to live with his estranged grandfather Mauricio. When the old man falls ill, and as the crops in their farm seem to fall ill with him, the boy embarks on a quest with his malfunctioning robot to search for magical grains that he believes can save the man’s life.
Gawad Alternatibo films take the spotlight on December 18, 4pm. Featured short films include: Wetsitales: Aponibonilayen and the Sun by Jade Dandan Evangelista; Maris by Gabb Gantala; Ang Liwanag ng Bakunawa by Alvin Gasga and Elisha Domingo; Mga Sisiw sa Kagubatan by Vahn Leinard Pascual; My Mamily by Cha Roque.
Wetsitales: Aponibonilayen and the Sun follows the unplanned trip to the heavens of a lovely maiden and how she met the man of her life, Ini-init. This story is an enchanted adventure mixed with the culture and traditions of the Tinguian Tribe.
In Maris, two bestfriends talk about their experiences in studying in private and public schools. One friend remembers his art teacher, which starts an argument between the two.
Ang Liwanag ng Bakunawa is a story of an albino girl who feels like an outcast and unwanted by her peers. One day, she chanced upon an unlikely friend who filled her days with warmth, adventure and mystery. A tale of love so steadfast, it weathers the storm.
In Mga Sisiw sa Kagubatan, a chick who lives in the forest, together with its own community, aims to live peacefully but a hungry giant keeps on lurking around their town and brings chaos and destruction.
My Mamily is a short animated film about the struggles and triumphs of a lesbian family as seen through the eyes of a child. It is a reflection of how children are born non-judgmental and how adults, schools, and other institutions are responsible for raising children who are accepting of differences. My Mamily provides a peek into diverse kinds of families and how above everything, love is what makes a family.
On December 18, 6pm, watch selected Cinemalaya 2022 entries See You, George! by Mark Moneda, Kwits by Raz dela Torre, and Batsoy by Ronald Batallones.
In See You, George, a group of hospital workers takes a trip down memory lane to honor the life of one of their departed colleagues. The solemn gathering suddenly turns into a recollection of dark and haunting memories.
Kwits follows a man who tries to get by in the time of COVID-19 with the simplest of goals: to get his ayuda. After the lockdown silenced the Higantes festivities, Tupe finds himself jobless and isolated. He sees a glimmer of hope when he qualifies to receive financial help from the government. But getting his hands on that money is not as easy as he thought it would be.
Batsoy tells about two young siblings who go on a fantastical adventure to satiate their much-coveted and delectable craving for batsoy. After selling firewood for their basic needs, siblings Toto and Nonoy go and buy batsoy, the food that the younger brother has been craving the most. Mt. Manaphag, which faces the town of San Dionisio, becomes the silent witness to their journey to satisfy their craving. Their adventure will ultimately bring viewers to a world of magic, fantasy and reality.
Cinema Under the Stars is free to the public. Riders, bikers, joggers, and walkers are all welcome. Follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates.
The next Spider-Man movie is coming to Philippine cinemas in 2023. Watch the new trailer for Columbia Pictures’ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse below.
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, the screenplay is by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller and David Callaham, based on the MARVEL Comic Books.
Produced by Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Christina Steinberg.
The film’s cast is led by Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham and Oscar Isaac
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #SpiderVerse
Director Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, the lavish and provocative epic tale about early Hollywood has just received five Golden Globe nominations including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Watch the film’s “Welcome to Babylon” featurette below:
Three of its principal cast members scored major acting nominations: Best Actress for Margot Robbie (as Nellie LaRoy, an unknown actress who is trying to get her big break into show business), Best Actor for Mexico’s Diego Calva (as Manny Torres, a young dreamer who will literally do anything for a Hollywood career) and Best Supporting Actor for Brad Pitt (as Jack Conrad, a silent movie star at the top of his game).
Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.
The film’s haunting music also captured a Best Original Score nomination for composer Justin Hurwitz.
Babylon opens in theaters across the Philippines on February 1st, 2023.
Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.
From Damien Chazelle, Babylon is an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo and Li Jun Li. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
Paramount Pictures presents in association with C2 Motion Picture Group, a Marc Platt / Wild Chickens / Organism Pictures Production, a Damien Chazelle Film, Babylon. Written and Directed by Damien Chazelle. Produced by Marc Platt, p.g.a., Matthew Plouffe, p.g.a., Olivia Hamilton, p.g.a. Executive Produced by Michael Beugg, Tobey Maguire, Wyck Godfrey, Helen Estabrook, Adam Siegel, Jason Cloth and Dave Caplan.
Babylon stars Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, P.J. Byrne, Lukas Haas, Olivia Hamilton, Tobey Maguire, Max Minghella, Rory Scovel, Katherine Waterston, Flea, Jeff Garlin, Eric Roberts, Ethan Suplee, Samara Weaving, Olivia Wilde.
Babylon is distributed in the Philippines by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Connect with #BabylonMovie and tag @paramountpicsph
After thirteen years since it premiered in cinemas and became the highest-grossing film of all time, James Cameron’s Avataris finally heading back to theaters through its sequel Avatar: The Way of Water.
Tailored for the ultimate immersive experience just like the first one, the epic sci-fi adventure will arrive in theaters this December 14, just a few months after the remastered version of the first movie was re-released in cinemas. This time, the sequel will follow the Sully family and the new threats they must face in Pandora, while we get to see more of their world’s seascapes and underwater splendor.
But before we take a dive back into Pandora and see once more its mesmerizing world and inhabitants, we got to be part of a virtual press conference for the film. The press conference was joined by director James Cameron, producer Jon Landau, and the film’s main cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang, who talked about the creation of the much-anticipated sequel for the film that broke blockbuster records.
Check out the highlights of the press conference below:
What was the moment that you knew we were going to go back to Pandora?
James Cameron: Well, that’s an interesting question, because it seems obvious to everyone, ‘oh, you just made a bunch of money, do a sequel,’ right? Well, Stephen Spielberg didn’t do a sequel to ‘E.T.,’ highest grossing film in its time, right? It’s not a no-brainer. Do you want to call down the lightning strike again in the same spot? You know, it’s a lot to live up to. But we have this amazing cast… you know, the amazing cast that returned, and we figured out a way to bring [Sigourney] back, as well, even though her character from the first film dies, obviously.
And we also had this amazing family of artists and troupe players, all the other actors. When you see a crowd scene in this movie of a hundred people, it’s the same ten actors just moved around, right? (Laughter) so it’s a small group and we kind of love each other and enjoy the process. And Kate got to join that, and feel that vibe as well. And that was a big incentive for me, to come back and do this all again.
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
How was that journey of working out where you wanted the story and these characters to go?
James Cameron: I think it’s important for a sequel to honor what the audience loved about the experience the first time. But also to get them off-balance, do things that they don’t expect. There are a lot of surprises in terms of where the story goes in this film, that we’re not putting into the trailers and the TV spots and all that. You kind of have to experience it. But it also goes a lot deeper, in terms of the heart and the emotions, I mean, wouldn’t you guys say? I mean, we were (sure), it was a much simpler story, and the characters were simpler the first time. And I was inspired by the fact that both Zoe and Sam are parents, and I’m a parent of five, and so we wanted to get into the family dynamics, and the responsibilities of having kids. And also what that’s all like from the kid’s perspective right?
What’s exciting for you, about revisiting this world and these characters, and introducing us to new ones?
Jon Landau: Well, the excitement are the themes that Jim writes into his stories. You know, themes are what you leave the theatre with, and this movie has heart, has emotion, and it also has a message again about our world, not just the environment, but about people, about accepting people for their differences. In the movie, Jim wrote in the line, (Speaks Na’vi), ‘I see you.’ And we want people to know that they’re seen, and that to see others that same way.
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Can you talk about your characters Jake and Neytiri, where we find them in this sequel, and how did it feel getting back into these characters?
Sam Worthington: Well, to be honest, Jim gave me a script that was Avatar 1.5, that unto itself is amazing and detailed, and full of what they’ve kind of gone through over that gap. And I think it was part of, you know, Jim realized that story was about them being warriors, and taking on the battles of the clans and things like that. But it almost didn’t feel… as [he] said, [he] wanted to explore what this family dynamic is, the natural extension of this love story. But it gave us a good jumping-off point to understand how to fill in that gap that’s missing, you know? To be honest, most people would’ve stuck on that one, but not this guy. It was pretty amazing.
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Zoe Saldana: Terrifying. It’s so funny because when something is very similar to you, you can’t see it. It’s just so close to you that it’s not in front of you. And Neytiri and I, in a way, we’ve lived parallel lives. There’s a level of fearlessness and rebellion that I have, I guess as a person, that Neytiri had. And we were able to sort of find kindred in that.
But the leap of falling in love with something outside of you, that challenges you to see something that you’ve never seen before, that has always been her dilemma. To surrender to that, and then to bring forward, you know, fruits of that love… that presents the challenge for her. Because forcing her to grow, it’s forcing her to love something that she’s been taught to hate. And it’s hard, it’s really, really hard.
Also fear. In my personal life, when I became a parent, fear entered my realm. The fear of losing something that you love so much, you know? And you just spend a great deal of your time creating these hypothetical scenarios that are just unimaginable. When I read the second script, that was her, that was Neytiri. But I didn’t see it then. I see it now, because my job wasn’t to see it, my job was to be it.
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Quaritch is back but in a different way. Stephen, how was that for you to play this character this way?
Stephen Lang: Oh it was very exciting to come back and I was just so honored to be able to deepen and expand on the vision that Jim had for this character. I think in the first film he’s very, very colorful, he’s got personality, he’s got some great qualities. But essentially he moves through like a mindless shark, in a way. But in this iteration of it, first of all, there’s the absolute magnificent irony that Jim has written, of coming back as the very thing he has been trying to destroy. And having to make the adjustment to that, to adapt to that. And I think it’s just been a total pleasure for me to continue to massage this character and find the depth, and maybe some of the humanity that’s in him. He’s such a warm character, and beloved by so many… (Laughter) You should stop me.
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Kate, what was it like for you coming on set, with your work history with James, but also coming on set to this world and to these characters?
Kate Winslet: Well I have to say, with it being Jim, I expected the absolute best of everything. Because it’s precision, it’s thought through, it is thorough, it’s meticulous, and I think the thing that pulled me in most of all, above everything else, is the characters that he’s created. You know, Jim has always written for women, characters who are not just strong, but they are leaders, they lead with their heart, with integrity. They stand in their truth, they own their power. They have physical power that is admirable, and to be part of that, and included, it was just so flattering that Jim asked me, because Jim does not suffer fools, and I knew that he was asking me because he knew I was too damn foolish not to say, ‘oh, you see that in me? Well, guess what… I’m going to show you that I can do exactly that thing, and maybe that thing, and maybe that thing, and maybe that thing.
And of course, he expected no less. So I was just thrilled to be asked. And when I got there, welcomed into this world that was created by these guys and Zoe and Sam, what they did the first time around was to create that heartbeat. You know, it’s one thing for Jim to write it, it’s quite another to find it, and to give it a life and a pulse and real blood in those veins. And it’s really, really extraordinary to be around that. It’s not a performance. It’s not things they came up with on the day. It is a universe. It is a love, it is something that is palpable, and you feel it, you step into that space, it’s an empty space, but it is absolutely loaded with truths and dynamics and pulses that these guys built. They built that, and they shared it, and it’s honestly very, very special to have been part of it.
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Sigourney, how did it feel playing the character of Dr. Grace Augustine in the first film, and now the teenage character of Kiri?
Sigourney Weaver: Well, luckily there is a connection, and when we first talked about it, it was 2010, and we just had this idea, a girl who was more comfortable in the forest with the creatures and the flora and the fauna. But I think, you know, all power to Jim, he wanted to create a complex character– wonderful things about her, but she also has some deficits. And so I loved that I had the opportunity to play someone I consider a real adolescent in most ways, and then she has these other bright spots that she’s learning about.
But I was very honored, too, and thrilled, excited, and terrified. But luckily there was a long time to prepare, and I went to high school classes and a few other things, so I could hear the pitch of their voices, and there’s a big range of who an adolescent is between twelve and fifteen. And once I saw that I was like, okay, I can let Kiri come out. Whoever that is, combined with who I was at fourteen. It was sort of like a muddle. You know, I was this tall when I was eleven. So it gave me so much to work with, and by the time I got there, I just so enjoyed leaving this shell behind and becoming this, sometimes, brat. (Laughter)
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
What can the fans expect from Jake in the sequel, now that he has found his new journey in love and fatherhood?
Sam Worthington: Well I think in the first one, he says it in the voice-over, ‘open your eyes.’ I think he’s opened his eyes to love, the love of culture, the love of the planet, and the love of Neytiri. I think in this one it is, as I said, it’s the natural extension of that. They have a family, and to be honest, it’s about the protection of that love and that world and that culture, that, I always saw it as the simplest form, you know. And his partner in crime is a very fiery person. He just tries to be the earth, and we just happen to have a lot of water. It’s very elemental.
And I think Jake’s journey has always been taking these parallels of where does he fit into this world, and finding something worth fighting for? And in one, his teenage boys are going through that as well, you know? Teenage boys are displaced, and like most teenagers they’re trying to figure out where they are in the world, and unfortunately, Jake is the perfect person to help them, but maybe as a dad, [sometimes] you can’t find that empathy, or you’re learning to find that empathy, to actually help Lo’ak played by Britain Dalton, and Jamie Flatters who plays Neteyam, and he’s trying to help these boys, and also Kiri, you know?
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Avatar: The Way of Waterarrives in cinemas nationwide this December 14. Book in advance and buy your tickets here.
