Avatar: The Way of Water Runtime: James Cameron Talks “Tension” to Cut Down Sequel

Avatar: The Way of Water director James Cameron talked about some of the studio pressure to cut down his massive film. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker discussed how he approached a project of this magnitude. A lot has been made about The Way of Water‘s three hour runtime. But Cameron believes it’s absolutely necessary for the story he wanted to tell. Early indications from Rotten Tomatoes and social media seems to agree with him. The first reactions to the Avatar sequel could not hold back from effusive praise for the technical craft on display with the movie. Check out what else the director had to say about possibly cutting things down right here.

“I think there was a lot of tension around length,” Cameron explained when asked about The Way of Water’s length. “And because it’s a complicated linear narrative, which is the worst scenario for trying to shorten, you’ve got a complex story servicing a lot of characters, and it’s like dominos falling: This has to happen for that to happen. You’re not following a bunch of parallel plot lines in a way that you could take a lot out.”

“The hardest thing when you’re trying to shorten a film is to hold onto the things that don’t advance the plot, that are beautiful or scary or suspenseful for their own sake,” added the filmmaker, before he clarified. “Things came out, and then if I felt the pacing was off, we put things back in.”

What Can You Expect From Avatar 2?

If you’re still debating taking the plunge, here’s a new synopsis. “Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive,  and the tragedies they endure. Directed by James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, the film stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement and Kate Winslet.” 

Do you think 3 hours is too long? Let us know down below in the comments!