With just one movie to its credit so far, Avatar is one of the biggest franchises in the business. A sequel is on the way, and fans are ready to see what James Cameron has in story.
MCU vet Zoe Saldana was able to score a role in the first film, and after doing so, she and her team put in intense preparation to bring their characters to life.
Let's take a look at how Zoe Saldana made the impossible happen!
Zoe Saldaña Thrived With Multiple Franchises
If you were to ask movie fans who the most underappreciated success in Hollywood has been for the last 20 or so years, Zoe Saldana's name is likely to pop up. Saldana is a popular talent, no doubt about it, but in truth, she's been far more successful than some people might realize.
According to The-Numbers, Saldana's films have grossed more than a combined $12 billion globally. This is largely thanks to her work in franchise features.
During her illustrious career, Zoe Saldana has been featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the Star Trek franchise, the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and has even crossed over into the Avengers pictures within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The actress has also been featured in successful movies like The Terminal, Vantage Point, and Guess Who. Again, franchises have been her bread and butter at the box office, and the fact that she's been featured in so many is truly an impressive achievement.
Saldana's body of work is astounding, and we haven't even mentioned her time in James Cameron's Avatar.
Saldaña Featured In James Cameron's 'Avatar' Franchise From The Start
Back in 2009, legendary filmmaker James Cameron unleashed Avatar, a film that became more of a cultural spectacle than picture.
Its use of fresh technology helped bring a familiar story to life in a most fantastical way, and by the time its box office haul was all said and done, Avatar had become the highest-grossing movie of all time, surpassing Titanic, another James Cameron feature.
Now, this was 13 years ago, and it's been ages since a slate of sequels were announced. For one reason or another, there have been constant delays, leading some to question just how well these films could perform upon release. Considering that the trailer for the upcoming Avatar: The Way of Water hit nearly 150 million views in 24 hours, it's safe to say that movie fans are ready to head back to Pandora.
The marketing machine is in full effect right now, meaning that the film's stars are opening up about a great number of things.
When speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Zoe Saldana opened up about some key differences between her Avatar role, and her iconic MCU role, and this included a rundown of her preparation for the upcoming sequel.
Saldaña Put In A Ton Of Work For The Upcoming 'Avatar: The Way Of Water'
According to Saldana, "They demand a different kind of sacrifice, but they stand very unique on their own subjective grounds. Gamora is a much more traditional approach where you wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning and you go through the whole prosthetic process. And then kind of once you see yourself and you feel Gamora on you, obviously, you transform, you know?"
The actress then went on to briefly detail the type of training she underwent to prep for her return to Pandora.
"And when it comes to Neytiri, it's more of a practice. It's months of training, not just rehearsing with your director, but training with movement coaches, and traveling to the jungle and getting to feel what it's like to make your own food with all the elements that are around you. And once you use all of that, you do bring it into what we call the volume, which is the set, when you shoot under performance-capture," she continued.
Most people see acting as an easy job, or people simply playing pretend, but stories like this are a reminder that these pictures require and incredible amount of work from everyone.
Avatar: The Way of Water is set to finally debut at the end of 2022, and fans cannot wait to see the next chapter of James Cameron's sci-fi epic. If it's anything like its predecessor, then it's going to dominate at the box office.
