Avatar: The Metkayina Water Clan Explained
20th Century Studios has finally released the highly anticipated sequel to James Cameron's Avatar and it looks to be another huge hit for the franchise. Avatar: The Way of Water has been getting rave reviews for its visual spectacle and storytelling and is expected to do some big numbers at the box office. In the film we get introduced to some new characters that are from a different clan of Na'vi called the Metkayina clan, and it's being led by Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) and the pregnant warrior Ronal (Kate Winslet). The Metkayina clan looks fairly different to Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and the other Na'vi we've seen before. We've officially seen the film so we can tell you exactly why and how the new clan is different from what we've seen before.
Who Are the Metkayina Water Clan in Avatar: The Way of Water?
In Avatar: The Way of Water, the Metkayina clan live on the far side of Pandora and are fairly different than the Na'vi that live in the jungle. The Metkayina clan have lighter blue skin and fairly different bodies that are made for adapting to the water. They're deep sea divers who can breathe for long periods of time under water and have a deep connection with the creatures of the sea. Ronal and Tonowari are the leaders of the clan and teach Jake Sully, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and their family how to hunt and live with the Metkayina clan. They use sign language to speak to the creatures of the water and have a deep connection to the Tulkun, who are highly intelligent whales that produce an enzyme to stop human aging.
Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3 Was Shot Back to Back
Cameron has been developing sequels to his record-breaking film for over a decade. The studio has announced four sequels to Avatar, with two already filmed, and the other two are waiting to see how the first does at the box office. The director shot both sequels back to back due to how the scenes they needed to film for both. About a year ago, Cameron confirmed to Variety why he shot the films this way.
"We mixed the schedules for 2 and 3 together, based on the types of scenes and the environments," Cameron revealed to the trade. "I said, let's just treat it like it's a six-hour miniseries and we're only going to go to Frankfurt once. We're going to shoot all the scenes from 2 and 3 at the same time. That was more or less the motif. Actor availability was an issue as well. Anything that had to be done with a specific actor, we did all the scenes for 2 and 3 together — and a little bit of 4. Because once again, I had to shoot the kids out. They're allowed to age six years in the middle of the story on page 25 of movie 4. So I needed everything before then, and then everything after, we'll do later."
The sequel is confirmed to feature several returning stars that include Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stepehn Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, Matt Gerald, and Sigourney Weaver. The cast for the sequels will include several more newcomers than returning members, though, with the likes of Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, Vin Diesel, and CJ Jones all set to appear as well. Plot details for the sequels are currently unknown.
Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters now and Avatar 3 is set to debut in two years on December 20, 2024.
Have you seen Avatar: The Way of Water yet? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!