Very soon, James Cameron is coming out with the sequel to Avatar. Since the first movie did so well at the box office and is currently sitting at the top of the list of the highest-grossing films of all time, fans are super excited to see what James Cameron and the team have done this time. With the sequel’s run time going beyond the three-hour mark, the movie is surely going to be a journey.
Another set of movies with long run times and a large fan base are the ones that are set in superhero universes, Marvel and DC. Well, James Cameron stated that the upcoming movie, Avatar: The Way of Water is a friendly criticism of these movies exactly.
James Cameron’s Friendly Rebuke towards Marvel and DCU
Appearing for an interview with GQ, James Cameron revealed that Avatar: The Way of Water is going to be a movie based on family. While many main characters are returning from the first film they are now much older and have kids of their own. Well, Avatar came out thirteen years ago, it only makes sense the characters are all grown up, doesn’t it? Since the characters now have a responsibility other than saving the world, they can no longer be reckless and jump off of cliffs. The sequel will show what it’s like being a warrior in a “family setting.”
“What do two characters who are warriors, who take chances and have no fear, do when they have children and they still have the epic struggle? Their instinct is to be fearless and do crazy things. Jump off cliffs, dive-bomb into the middle of an enemy armada, but you’ve got kids. What does that look like in a family setting?
With the growing up of his characters and giving them a family to look after, Cameron is taking a friendly dig at Marvel and DC. He stated that superheroes do not have to deal with things that hold them down and thus can jump from one building to the next without thinking of the consequences.
“I was consciously thinking to myself, Okay, all these superheroes, they never have kids. They never really have to deal with the real things that hold you down and give you feet of clay in the real world.”
Cameron took yet another dig at the characters in Marvel and DC in a separate interview with The New York Times. He expressed his views pointing a finger at Marvel and DC about how spectacular movies, have their characters acting like they are college-going students.
“When I look at these big, spectacular films — I’m looking at you, Marvel and DC — it doesn’t matter how old the characters are, they all act like they’re in college. They have relationships, but they really don’t. They never hang up their spurs because of their kids.”
According to the Aliens director, the characters in Marvel and DC movies do not experience what it’s like to be grounded with power, love, and purpose. He added that in his personal opinion, he doesn’t believe that that’s how movies should be made.
James Cameron Compares Avatar Sequel to The Sopranos
In another interview with Total Film, the Titanic director compared the upcoming sequel to The Sopranos, a TV show revolving around a mafia head and his family. He addressed that The Way of Water isn’t going to follow Disney in its footsteps of a family story and instead, the sequel is going to show a family story similar to The Sopranos. He added that the movie will be more focused on the characters, their relationships, and their emotions.
Cameron confessed that the three-hour run time is quite justifiable given that there are many characters in the film and that there is “more story to service.” He’s sure got a point. Leaving out a few storylines might affect the entire aesthetic of what Cameron is going for. Nevertheless, fans are quite excited to see the new, family side of their favorite characters.
Avatar: The Way of Water will release in theatres on December 16, 2022.
Source: GQ
