New Avatar 2 Set Photo Offers First Glimpse Of Kate Winslet

Jake in as a Na'vi in Avatar

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James Cameron is a legendary filmmaker who has consistently challenged that the industry was capable throughout his long career. Arguably his two biggest movies are Titanic and Avatar, both of which used cutting-edge visual effects and became the highest grossing movie in their time. The latter movie is getting a slew of (expensive) sequels, with Avatar 2 introducing a ton of new characters. One of which is a Na'vi named Ronal, played by none other than Rose herself, Kate Winslet. A new photo from the set revealed the first glimpse of Winslet, before the visual effects transform her into a blue alien.

Kate Winslet will be joining the world of Pandora in Avatar 2, playing the role of Ronal. Not much is known about the newcomer, except that she'll be a free-diver from the Metkayina clan of Na'vi. This required to do extensive motion capture work, some of which is in a giant pool. Now we can see her hard at work the rest of the cast in those sequences below.

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Does anyone else want to go swimming right now? It looks like the cast helping to make Avatar 2 into a reality were having a good time on the set in New Zealand before it shut down amid global health concerns. That includes Kate Winslet, who will be reunited with her Titanic director James Cameron in the long-awaited sequel.

This image from the set of Avatar 2 comes to us from the official social media of James Cameron's franchise. While the movie's contents are being kept thoroughly under wraps, the rabid fanbase has been treated to a few set photos to help satiate their appetite for the upcoming sequel. Of course, said stills also only create for questions for moviegoers, who are in the dark regarding that Avatar's sequel might entail.

In the above photo Kate Winslet is doing motion capture work in a pool alongside other members of the Avatar 2 cast. Directly in front of Winslet are the franchise's two protagonists, Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington. The duo are reprising their roles as Neytiri and Jake respectively, with the latter character now permanently inhabiting his brother's Na'vi avatar. Winslet has her arm around Fear the Walking Dead alum Cliff Curtis, who is also new to the Avatar franchise. He'll be playing Tonowari, leader of reef people clan the Metkayina.

Avatar fans can re-watch the original movie on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial to the streaming service.

From the few set photos and limited information we know about Avatar 2 so far, it looks like James Cameron's sophomore entry into the franchise will feature plenty of water sequences. It's fitting that Kate Winslet is reuniting with the acclaimed filmmaker for the project, considering how much time she spent in the water when filming Titanic. Except this time she'd adding another layer to the performance: motion capture.

Recently, Avatar's social media revealed the first look at Sigourney Weaver in Avatar 2. While Weaver previously revealed that she'll be playing a new character in the second movie, the set photo showed her as Dr. Grace Augustine. Although its possible that this is merely a flashback to the character's time alive on Pandora.

Avatar 2 is currently set to arrive in theaters on December 17th, 2021. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.