Disney sets two-part documentary ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’

James Cameron’s Avatar universe is getting its own behind-the-scenes spotlight. Disney+ has announced Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films, a two-part documentary series premiering November 7 that explores the groundbreaking filmmaking process behind Cameron’s sci-fi epics.

Directed and produced by Thomas C. Grane, the docuseries chronicles the making of Avatar: The Way of Water while offering early glimpses of the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash. Featuring never-before-seen footage and new interviews with Cameron, the late producer Jon Landau, and stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Kate Winslet, the series promises a rare inside look at one of cinema’s most technically ambitious franchises.

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” Cameron says in the trailer. “As much as we use computers and technology, Avatar is made by an incredibly talented team of people who bring every expression, every emotional beat and the entire world to life.”

The original Avatar (2009) and its 2022 sequel The Way of Water have each grossed more than $2 billion worldwide, cementing Cameron as the only filmmaker with three films to reach that milestone — the third being Titanic.

The documentary also delves into the extensive performance-capture and underwater filming techniques developed for The Way of Water. Actors underwent intensive free-diving training to perform in a 680,000-gallon water tank, with motion capture translating every gesture and expression into the digital Na’vi characters.

“If not for the actors,” Saldaña says in the trailer, “Pandora would just be a beautiful world with no life in it.” Worthington adds, “There’s not one thing that you see us do that is animated. It is all us.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash will release on December 19, followed by Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 in 2029 and 2031, respectively.