Just days after Zoe Saldaña teased an Avatar documentary, Disney+ has announced Fire and Water: Making The Avatar Films, a behind-the-scenes documentary about the epic sci-fi franchise, as well as sharing the official trailer.
Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films premieres on Disney+ on November 7, about six weeks before James Cameron’s latest Pandora adventure, Avatar: Fire and Ash, debuts in movie theaters on December 19. As the тιтle teases, the documentary will both look back at the making of Avatar: The Way of Water and give a glimpse of Fire and Ash‘s production.
The official trailer definitely focuses more on The Way of Water, as footage shown almost exclusively comes from the 2022 film. It also emphasizes that while Avatar is a heavy visual effects franchise, the filmmaking team bases all of what is seen in the movies on real-world efforts. This includes the performance-capture work of Saldaña and her fellow actors.
The performance capture elements have been among the biggest talking points around the making of Avatar. Saldaña in particular has received notable acclaim for her performances as Neytiri in the films, though awards recognition has not come, as some debate over how much is the actors and how much is computer generated.
This was a big reason for Saldaña’s recent push for a documentary, as she feels it gives “us a chance to explain, in a meticulous way, why performance capture is the most empowering form of acting. It gives us the credit, the ability to own 100% of our performance on screen.“
Avatar has become one of the most successful franchises in film history. The original Avatar, released in 2009, is the all-time highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office with $2.92 billion, while Avatar: The Way of Water is third on that list with a haul of $2.34 billion. Avatar: Fire and Ash will add to that total, while two more Avatar movies are scheduled for 2029 and 2031.
To stream Fire and Water when it releases, you will need to have a Disney+ subscription. That will also allow you to go back and watch the first two Avatar movies as well, as both are streaming on the platform.
As for the latest movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash picks up the story of the Sully family as they encounter with a new, aggressive tribe of Na’Vi led by a fiery and dangerous leader. Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Oona Chaplin, Stephan Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, David Thewlis, Bailey Bᴀss, Jack Champion, and Giovanni Ribisi star.
