"Avatar 2: The Way of Water" is almost here, but we nearly
got an entirely different sequel instead. Here's the story James Cameron almost told.
In less than two weeks, "Avatar: The Way of Water" will finally arrive in theaters! The
sequel will tell the story of Jake Sully, played by Sam Worthington, and Neytiri,
played by Zoe Saldana, as they form a life and family together more than a decade after the
events of the first James Cameron film. But did you know that there was actually another "Avatar"
movie written and planned before "The Way of Water," which had a script and everything?
Fans of the growing science-fiction franchise have had to spend the past 13 years waiting
for a follow-up to be churned out by 20th Century Studios and Cameron. The "Aliens" and "Terminator"
director even went so far as to throw out an entire early draft — made up of about 130 pages —
because it wasn't "subconscious" enough. Cameron explained to The Times UK in September 2022,
"Outstanding."
According to the official "Avatar: The Way of Water" synopsis, Jake and Neytiri's story will be
rooted in their relationship with their children, three of whom are Na'vi. Another is an orphaned
human boy. But how did Jake and Neytiri get to this point, and what exactly happened during the
years between the "Avatar" and "The Way of Water" films? Well, that's where "Avatar 1.5" comes in.
As explained by Sam Worthington, at a recent "Avatar: The Way of Water" press event,
it's the "Avatar" movie that fans will likely beg to be released for
years to come. It supposedly provided an in-depth look at Jake and Neytiri's
early warrior years as Na'vi clan leaders. Worthington explained,
According to Worthington, Cameron ultimately wanted to explore a more natural extension
of the Jake and Neytiri love story through their children and family struggles rather
than making an "Avatar" war movie. With "Way of Water," the path for the
"Avatar" franchise has been officially charted. However, there is hope that
Cameron's "Avatar 1.5" could be adapted for a different medium. Or maybe it already has?
Consider Cameron's original 130 page script for the sequel, which he threw out because
it failed to tackle the subconscious. Titled "The High Ground," the script has
been repurposed into a Dark Horse graphic novel. Cameron told Total Film magazine,
"The High Ground" has been explicitly dubbed as a prequel to "The Way of Water" by Dark Horse,
though it's unclear if the repurposed script is the one Sam Worthington described as
"Avatar 1.5." The graphic novel is set a decade after the first film and focuses on Neytiri and
Jake's family reeling with humans returning to Pandora. This direction sounds largely different
from what Worthington described, which was Neytiri and Jake battling with other Na'vi
clans. Perhaps that script Worthington saw will get the graphic novel treatment as well? Or be
adapted into a novel? Keep in mind that Cameron inked a deal with Penguin Random House in 2017
to publish several books in the "Avatar" universe, according to Los Angeles Times.
Either way, fans will likely be blown away by what's up on the
big screen when "Way of Water" hits theaters on December 16!
"Lets get it done"