The long, long, long-awaited Avatar sequel is finally in sight, and along with a confirmed title and impending teaser trailer, the cast and crew of Avatar: The Way of Water have now begun to open up about how they feel regarding the record-breaking franchise’s return. Speaking with EW, Zoe Saldaña has discussed the “nerve-wracking” release of the sequel and how she feels about coming back to Pandora after all this time.

"It's exciting; nerve-wracking. Humbling as well, you know – the wait is finally over. And we get to share something that we love so much with so many people that we know love it, too."

Saldana has become a sci-fi staple over the last few years, with the actress starring in prominent roles in both the Avatar series and the MCU. The actress compared her role as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy with her return as Neytiri, one of the native aliens of Pandora.

"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?”

Of course, Neytiri is brought to life using motion capture and CGI, making Saldana’s preparation for the two science fiction characters very different.

“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."

A Trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water Was Shown at Preview Screenings of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Avatar: The Way of Water will pick up with Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) more than a decade after the events of the first Avatar movie, and begins to tell the story of the Sully family, 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.

A trailer was shown to a lucky few at a preview screening of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with our own Julian Roman declaring that you should “never underestimate James Cameron.”

Directed by James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water sees cast members Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald all reprise their roles from the original movie alongside Zoe Saldaña, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a different, mysterious role. The sequel will also add the likes of Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, and CJ Jones.

Avatar: The Way of Water is scheduled to be released on December 16, 2022.