Avatar: The Way of Water Cover for Empire Magazine Revealed

Avatar: The Way of Water is getting a big promotional push in Empire Magazine – including a big new cover image! However, rather than going with Sam Worthington's Jake Sully or Zoe Saldana's Neytiri, Empire's Avatar 2 cover image reveals the first look at Kate Winslet's Ronal, a new Na'vi that we'll meet in the sequel. You can take a look at Empire's new cover for Avatar: The Way of Water, below: 

The Avatar 2 trailer generated 148 million views in the first 24 hours of its release, proving that the Avatar franchise still has as much worldwide appeal as it did when James Cameron (once again) revolutionized movies back in 2009. Even so, Avatar franchise star Zoe Saldana says the anxiety of having to recapture the (billion-dollar) magic is immense: 

"It's exciting; nerve-wracking," Saldana told EW. "Humbling as well, you know – the wait is finally over. And we get to share something that we love so much with so many people that we know love it, too."

James Cameron has not shown an ounce of nerves while promoting Avatar: The Way of Water – to the contrary, Cameron has made some pretty large boasts about what the sequel will deliver: 

"With the first Avatar we set out to push the limits of the big screen with the new avatar films. We're pushing those limits even further, with 3d with high dynamic range, with high frame rate, higher resolution, and a much greater reality in our visual effects," Cameron told the crowd at Disney's CinemaCon panel, before adding:

"But it's not just the technical while I'm making a movie. It's working with the actors that I find the most rewarding and it's been an amazing adventure to explore Pandora again with our friends. So we settled on Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Steven Leg, not to mention our new cast members Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, and this incredible group of extremely talented teenagers, all of whom quickly distinguished themselves in their roles. We wanted our return to Pandora to be something really special. 

Every shot was designed for the biggest screen, the highest resolution, and the most immersive 3D available. We set out once again to push the limits of what cinema can do. I think we pulled it off. I hope we pulled it off. I hope when you see the film in December that you will agree." 

Avatar: The Way of Water will arrive on December 16, 2022, with Avatar 3 set to debut two years later on December 20, 2024.