Avatar fans might have been wondering why it took 13 years to get a sequel to the hit movie, but it turns out that writer James Cameron hasn't just been working on Avatar 2, but also 'Avatar 1.5'.
The long-awaited sequel to the 2009 movie is finally set to hit cinemas on 16 December, introducing viewers to 'the way of the water' while bringing back original cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang.
With the release just over a week away, the actors are well in the throes of press tours, attempting to raise the hype for the new film without giving away any key plot details, which I'm sure is a fine line to walk.
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One interesting piece of information star Worthington was able to reveal actually didn't relate to the sequel so much as the space in between the first and second films, which are written to take place nearly 15 years apart.
The actor explained that in order to help the stars fill in the gaps between films, Cameron offered up scripts focused on an in-between story, tracing the lives of the characters off-screen.
Speaking to /film, Worthington explained: "Jim, I'm okay to say this, gave me a script that was 'Avatar' 1.5, that, unto itself, is amazing and detailed and full of what they've kind of gone through over that gap."
The actor revealed that the in-between script formed 'part of Jim realizing that story was about them being warriors and taking on the battles over the clans and things like that'.
He continued: "You wanted to explore what this family dynamic is and the natural extension of this love story. It gave us a good jumping-off point to understand how to fill in that gap that's missing."
A lot changes for the characters between the two films, with a number of actors introduced as Jake (Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana) grow their family.
The parents have the eldest child Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), second-born Lo'ak (Britain Dalton), and their youngest biological child Tuktirey (Trinity Bliss), as well as their adopted family members Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) and Miles (Jack Champion).
It might be a lot to get your head around after last seeing the parents more than a decade ago, but Cameron has previously explained that the 'emphasis in the new film' is more on character, story, relationships and emotion.
Speaking to Total Film, he added: "We didn't spend as much time on relationship and emotion in the first film as we do in the second film, and it's a longer film, because there's more characters to service. There's more story to service."
Hopefully the storylines will offer up all the explanation fans need - especially with the film's whopping three hour, 12 minute runtime.
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity
Emily Brown