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Both Amazon and HBO have recently found themselves the target of racist trolls for including actors of colour in the fantasy worlds of Lord Of The Rings and House Of The Dragon this autumn.
And it seems Disney may be the next to sail into perilous waters in the much-anticipated blockbuster sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water, reports The Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff.
James Cameron’s second installment of the Sci-Fi fantasy introduces a new clan called the Metkayina, who are fairly explicitly modelled on New Zealand’s Maori people.
Trouble ahead? It seems Disney may be the next to sail into perilous waters in the much-anticipated blockbuster sequel Avatar: The Way Of Water (pictured is Tonowari and his wife Ronal, played by Kate Winslet)
The film sees the Metkayina fight alongside the Na’vi and features Maori actor Cliff Curtis voicing Chief Tonowari, who sports distinctive Maori-style tattoos.
A re-release of the 2009 original Avatar reached No 1 on the global box office chart last weekend. Figures show that 93 per cent of the audience in the U.S. watched James Cameron’s film in 3D.
The film stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Vin Diesel and Trinity Bliss.
The movie is set over a decade after the events of the first film.
Backlash: Both Amazon and HBO have found themselves the target of racist trolls for including actors of colour in the fantasy worlds of Lord Of The Rings and House Of The Dragon this autumn (pictured: House of Dragon star Steve Toussaint)
The synopsis reads: ‘Jake Sully and Ney’tiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans.’
Avatar 2 debuts on December 16, with sequels to come on December 20, 2024, December 18, 2026, and December 22, 2028.
It comes as director James Cameron said he had to reference his past success at the box office with Titanic, in a creative clash over the making of his 2009 blockbuster Avatar.
Characters: James Cameron’s second installment of the Sci-Fi fantasy introduces a new clan called the Metkayina, who are fairly explicitly modelled on New Zealand’s Maori people
The Ontario, Canada-born director, 68, told The New York Times last Friday that he and Fox execs ‘clashed over certain things’ in the making of Avatar, which went on to make more than $2.34 billion at the worldwide box office, the highest lifetime gross ever, according to Box Office Mojo.
‘The studio felt that the film should be shorter and that there was too much flying around on the ikran – what the humans call the banshees,’ he said. ‘Well, it turns out that’s what the audience loved the most, in terms of our exit polling and data gathering.’
The Oscar-winning filmmaker said that amid the butting of heads with the studio, he reminded execs of his massive success with 1997’s Titanic, which sits third in lifetime gross at the worldwide box office with $2.2 billion.
Success: A re-release of the 2009 original Avatar reached No 1 on the global box office chart last weekend. Figures show that 93 per cent of the audience in the U.S. watched James Cameron’s film in 3D
Cameron said he ‘said, “You know what? I made Titanic. This building that we’re meeting in right now, this new half-billion dollar complex on your lot? Titanic paid for that, so I get to do this.”‘
Cameron, who has directed blockbusters such as The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Aliens, said studio execs thanked him for holding firm in the wake of the film’s huge success.
‘I feel that my job is to protect their investment, often against their own judgment,’ he said. ‘But as long as I protect their investment, all is forgiven.’
The latest: It comes as James Cameron, 68, said he had to reference his past success at the box office with Titanic, in a creative clash over the making of his 2009 blockbuster Avatar (pictured in 2020)
Film: The filmmaker said that amid the butting of heads with the studio, he reminded execs of his massive success with 1997’s Titanic, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet
Cameron, who is working on four sequels to the box office blockbuster, said he ‘was pleasantly surprised’ at how well the film has held up in the 13 years since its release, as he recently watched a remastered version.
‘It was a real pleasure to watch it, in its fully remastered state, a few weeks ago with my kids, because they had only ever seen it on streaming or on Blu-ray,’ he said. ‘”Oh yeah, it’s that movie that dad made back then.” And they got to see it in 3-D, at good light level and projection levels, for the first time.
‘And they were kind of like, “Oh. All right. Now I get it.” Which, hopefully, will be the general audience reaction. Young film fans never had the opportunity to see it in a movie theater. Even though they think they may have seen the film, they really haven’t seen it.’
In control: The accomplished director was seen during the making of 2009’s Avatar
