Avatar: The Way of Water blew any naysayers out the, um, water by becoming such a massive success that it’s the third highest grossing movie of all time. It’s coming to digital on March 28 and producer Jon Landau has been speaking to The Wrap about the home release of a movie that helped save the theatrical experience (along with Top Gun: Maverick of course).
Probably the most popular character in The Way of Water is a vast whale-like sea creature who bonds with Lo’ak (played by Avatar 2 cast member Britain Dalton) and who has an important role in battling the RDA’s ship; “I always viewed Payakan a little bit like Lassie. And I would say this is a story like a boy and his dog, and they’re both outcasts and they need each other.”
“And I thought that Payakan was going to be a character, as you describe them. People wouldn’t see that at first. And we had to keep saying Payakan is a character. And when we would ask people about characters, Payakan was always on that list and included them, which was unusual,” says Landau.
Most importantly, Landau confirmed that; “Payakan will be back” in Avatar 3. Unfortunately, so will Mick Scoresby, who will probably be hellbent on revenge, since Payakan ripped his arm off. Elsewhere in Avatar 3, a fire tribe is expected to feature, following on from the water tribe being the focus of Avatar 2. We’re also sure to see more of Lo’ak burgeoning romance with Reya.
If Avatar 3, 4 and 5 replicate the success of the first two, the all-time Top 10 box office chart will soon be made up entirely of James Cameron and MCU movies.
Check out our guide to the best science fiction movies.