Entertainment Movies Everything to Know About 'Avatar: The Way of Water' The long-awaited sequel to 2009's Avatar hit theaters in December 2022 By Kelsie Gibson Kelsie Gibson Kelsie Gibson is the SEO Editor of PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2021. She was formerly at POPSUGAR, Bustle, Tiger Beat and Her Campus. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 20, 2022 05:20AM EST Close Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). Photo: 20th Century Studios Avatar finally got its long-awaited sequel. Titled Avatar: The Way of Water, the film centers around the original film's main characters Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) as they embark on a new adventure as parents. The film has been in the works for quite some time. Following the incredible success of the first movie in 2009, plans for a sequel were officially announced in 2010, though production delays kept pushing back the actual release. Now, almost 13 years later, fans finally get to return to Pandora. In addition to Avatar 2, more sequels are already in the works, with Avatar 3 being shot back-to-back with the second film and expected to debut on Dec. 20, 2024. Avatar: The Way of Water's early box office numbers were positive, pulling a global total of $435 million over opening weekend — making it the fourth-biggest opening weekend of 2022. From the cast to the director, here's everything to know about Avatar: The Way of Water. Who is in the cast of Avatar: The Way of Water? Francis Specker/CBS via Getty; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Andreas Rentz/Getty In addition to Worthington and Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang also reprise their roles as Kiri and Colonel Quaritch, respectively. Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Michelle Yeoh and Edie Falco also joined the cast, according to the film's official website. Kate Winslet, who plays the Na'vi character Ronal, used her time filming as an opportunity to break the record for the longest amount of time a person has held their breath for a movie, which was previously held by Tom Cruise. "I have the video of me surfacing saying, 'Am I dead, have I died?' And then going, 'What was [my time]?' " she told Total Film in an interview published on Dec. 13, 2022. "Well, I didn't have to hold my breath for over seven minutes," Winslet added. "It's just that the opportunity to set a record presented itself." Zoe Saldaña Says She 'Was Moved to Tears' Watching Footage from 'Avatar 2' : 'I Was Speechless' What is Avatar: The Way of Water about? Courtesy of 20th Century Studios The film follows Jake and Neytiri's family and "the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure," according to an official logline for the movie. Who directed Avatar: The Way of Water? Gabriel Olsen/Getty; Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation/Kobal/Shutterstock James Cameron, best known for his work on the first Avatar film and Titanic, returned as the director of the film. Cameron is also producing the film alongside Jon Landau, and the screenplay was written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver based on a story by Cameron, Jaffa, Silver, Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. When GQ asked how much it cost to create Avatar: The Way of Water, Cameron simply said that the film was "very f—ing [expensive]." He estimates that the movie will need to be the "third or fourth highest-grossing film in history" to break even. Meaning, the sequel will need to cross the $2 billion mark worldwide before it sees a profit. Over opening weekend, Avatar: The Way of Water pulled in $134 million at the domestic box office and another $301 million internationally, making for a global total of $435 million. By comparison, the first Avatar movie made around $77 million domestically over its first weekend in theaters. James Cameron Calls 'Avatar' Sequels 'Big Roll of the Dice': 'Are We Going to Make Any Damn Money?' How long is Avatar: The Way of Water? Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). 20th Century Studios According to The Hollywood Reporter, the sequel's final runtime is estimated to be three hours and 10 minutes, which is about 29 minutes longer than the original 2009 film. Cameron received serious pushback about the original film's runtime ahead of its release. He told GQ about the time he cussed out a Fox executive and kicked them out of his office. "I said something I've never said to anybody else in the business," Cameron recounted. "'I think this movie is going to make all the f—ing money. And when it does, it's going to be too late for you to love the film. The time for you to love the movie is today.' " The director went on to add: "At that point, that particular studio executive flipped out and went bug s— on me. And I told him to get the f— out of my office. And that's where it was left." Is there a trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water? After the teaser trailer was released in May, the official trailer for the film was released on Nov. 2, giving a glimpse of Pandora and all the returning characters. When was Avatar: The Way of Water released? 20th Century Studios Following multiple delays with the release, the film officially hit theaters on Dec. 16, 2022.