The Avatar sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water is set to explore a deeper dynamic between Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) in raising their own family in Pandora. With relationships being central to the sequel, James Cameron could not help but compare the family story to the classic HBO crime drama series, The Sopranos.
Speaking with Total Film, as reported on CBR, the director makes a comparison of the ‘family storyline’ in Avatar: The Way of Water with HBO’s The Sopranos, and it is not the typical Disney family story you think it is. Read his full quote below:
“People say, ‘Oh my God, a family story from Disney? Just what we want…’ This isn’t that kind of family story. This is a family story like how The Sopranos is a family story.”
HBO’s The Sopranos centers an antihero protagonist named Tony Soprano, who is an Italian-American mobster struggling to balance his family life with his role as a leader of a criminal organization. Seeing as the Avatar: The Way of Water trailer introduces the idea of the characters protecting Pandora while being under attack, Jake and his family are also being threatened by external forces.
There’s a chance this is one of the reasons why Cameron had scrapped the original Avatar 2 script, which did not incorporate the culture of the original world he built.
Taking into account how HBO’s The Sopranos’ family life is like, there is always a conflict of interest on Tony’s children growing up to be exactly like him, which he obviously would not want for their future. He believes he is doing his job to protect his family, but at the same time, could threaten to ruin the basic principles he taught them growing up. Jake and Neytiri, on the other hand, are at risk in raising Lo’ak due to their differences.
Avatar: The Way of Water premieres on December 16, 2022.
Also Read: Avatar 2 Trailer Showcases James Cameron’s Promise of Stunning CGI
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