WATCH | Long-awaited Avatar sequel makes a splash with teaser trailer

"Wherever we go, this family is our fortress," says Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) in the teaser trailer for the long-awaited Avatar sequel.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the first look of Avatar: The Way of Water played exclusively in theatres over the weekend, ahead of Disney-Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. 

However, on Monday, it went live for all to see on YouTube and social media.

The minute-and-a-half clip introduces dazzling footage that includes gorgeous shots of Pandora’s bright blue water — both above and below the surface.

Per Deadline,  the sequel to the highest-grossing movie ever is set more than a decade after the events of the first film. It follows the Jake and Neytiri Sully (Zoe Saldana) 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.

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:

Also released on Monday was a "brand-new teaser poster".

SEE THE POSTER HERE:

"I can assure you it's been well worth the wait," said Disney distribution chief Tony Chambers, when confirming the film's name at CinemaCon in Las Vegas in April.

Producer Jon Landau introduced footage from the film, which is the first of four planned sequels to the $2.8 billion-grossing original from 2009.

Each sequel will be a standalone movie with its own "emotional resolution" but will collectively make up an "even larger, connected epic saga," said Landau.

Avatar: Way of Water, directed and produced by James Cameron, is scheduled for a global release on 16 December 2022.