James Cameron Wrote An Epic Space Battle For Avatar: The Way Of Water That Was Thrown Out
With "Avatar: The Way of Water" just on the cusp of a $2 billion box office intake, it appears that audiences have once again embraced the world of Pandora. I remember the stories about how some folks had even come down with what has been labeled called post-Avatar depression syndrome (PADS) when the first film came out, for all they wanted to do was to live on this planet, and it's easy to see why. As our delicate ecosystem crumbles with each passing day, "Avatar" presented a visually stunning environment that opened itself up through its creatures, its luminous biosphere, and the people who care for it.
The only difference this time around is that the sequel's massive success has all but ensured that Disney will mine this franchise until James Cameron eventually collapses from exhaustion, so the wait between Pandora visits will be significantly shorter.
Even with the tremendous scope of the 2009 film, there was still so much of Pandora left to explore, as it primarily stuck to the rainforest dwellings of the Omatikaya Na'vi. When Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) needs to hide out with his family in "The Way of Water," however, it introduces us to the Metkayina Clan, who have made their home among the planet's insanely beautiful waters. Cameron has already talked about meeting another clan of Na'vi referred to as "The Ash People," which will likely take in a fire-based section of the alien moon, so the exploring is far from over.
But in the midst of all this, "The Way of Water" nearly took the Na'vi beyond their ecosystem and into the cold depths of space.
'It just didn't really work with the story we were telling'
While talking with Entertainment Weekly, screenwriter Rick Jaffa talked about how, at one point, there were ideas floating around about the Na'vi taking the fight to space rather than waiting for the antagonistic RDA corporation to make their move:
"That idea got a lot of traction, and we talked a lot about it. We were struggling, though. How would that work with the story that we're telling? Jim said, 'Well, give me a few weeks.' He went off and he wrote an entire script. And, by the way, a brilliant script [...] At the end of the day, the whole script got thrown out because it just didn't really work with the story we were telling."
One of the most alluring aspects of this franchise is not only spending time in these environments, but becoming one with them too. "The Way of Water" not only had to transition audiences from a place they've become attached to, but to make sure they fell in love with the Metkayina reefs, and I'd say they succeeded.
Stretching over three hours, the highly anticipated sequel had a massive juggling act on its hands, so finding the time to lay out the rules for Na'vi space travel would have taken away from the crux of the story down on Pandora. In the event you were interested in what an "Avatar" space battle would even look like, however, you don't have to look too far.
The idea lives on in graphic novel form
When Worthington was prepping for "The Way of Water," Cameron had presented him with a screenplay that was best described as "Avatar 1.5," which was initially going to be the original story for the sequel. Rather than letting it go to waste, Sherri L. Smith instead turned Cameron's unused story idea into "Avatar: The High Ground," a three-volume graphic novel miniseries with Dark Horse Comics. The story takes place before "The Way of Water," as Jake's fears that the humans would return have started to come true.
In order to prepare the Na'vi, he's able to construct spacesuits for the Pandoran freedom fighters to train in zero gravity. But when General Ardmore (Edie Falco) issues a deadly ultimatum, Jake leads a band of space-trained Na'vi, in addition to some loyal humans, to work something out before the advent of another war. He attempts to allure them with an unobtanium stash worth trillions, but it doesn't interest them in the slightest, which leads to an all-out space battle.
If Cameron had somehow made "The High Ground" into "Avatar 2," there's no doubt it would have looked incredible, given how much time he gave to developing the groundbreaking underwater technology. It wouldn't surprise me if they're keeping this in their back pocket for later down the line, as "Avatar" producer Jon Landau has also said that there's a chance that the fifth film will show us what the dying Earth looks like. In which case, the Na'vi have to suit up in something in order to make the trek.
"Avatar: The Way of Water" is now playing in theaters nationwide.