However, according to the director behind the popular series, the title of the animation was supposed to be much shorter. Giancarlo Volpe revealed that back in 2004, the series, whose original title was Avatar had to change its title to Avatar: The Last Airbender because James Cameron was already using the Avatar title for his 2009 epic sci-fi film. He further went on to highlight the peculiar title of Cameron’s sequel, ‘Avatar: The Way of the Water,’ which contains particular overtones to the Nickelodeon animation. Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in a universe where some people can telekinetically manipulate one of the four elements — water, earth, fire, or air — through practices known as ‘bending’, inspired by Chinese martial arts. In this respect, Cameron’s Avatar sequel title adds to the confusion about the two different franchises.
Now the sequel is called “The Way of Water.” If part 3 is called “The Firebending Masters” we riot — Giancarlo Volpe (@Giancarlo_Volpe) December 4, 2022 James Cameron conceived the idea for the film back in 1994 after drawing inspiration from “every single science fiction book” he had read to write an 80-page treatment for Avatar. The film project was supposed to begin production in mid-1997 for a 1999 release, but Cameron felt that technology had not caught up with the story and vision that he intended to tell. With this in mind, he decided to concentrate on making documentaries and refining the technology for the next few years, until April 2006, when he started working on the script. The film eventually hit theaters in December 2009 and became a huge commercial success, becoming the first film to gross over $2 billion and taking the top spot for the highest-grossing film of all time. Despite the similarities in the titles, both films were successful in their own right, receiving widespread acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Now, thirteen years later, the highly anticipated sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is set to release in US theaters on December 16, 2022. On the other hand, Paramount Pictures has confirmed that Avatar: The Last Airbender, an animated film, is scheduled for release on October 10, 2025, and that it will be the first of the three planned Avatar films from Avatar Studios.
