James Cameron Shows a New Side of Pandora in Wondrous ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Trailer

Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters Dec. 16.

James Cameron is bringing his fans back to Pandora.

On Wednesday, 20th Century Studios released the new trailer for Avatar: The Way of Water, which hits theaters almost 12 years after the director’s 2009 film Avatar.

The long-awaited sequel meets the original film’s main characters Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) as parents for a new adventure.

The sequel — the first of four more planned installments in the science fiction franchise — follows Jake and Neytiri’s family and “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,” according to an official logline for the movie.

Avatar 2’s new two-minute, 28 seconds-long trailer showcases the planet Pandora’s beautiful oceans and underwater sequences as Jake and Neytiri’s daughter Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) appears to feel a connection with an unnamed character through Eywa, the Na’vi’s deity who keeps a natural balance on the planet.

“Dad, I know you think I’m crazy,” Kiri tells Jake in the trailer. “But I feel her. I hear her heart beat. She’s so close.”

“So what does her heartbeat sound like?” Jake asks his daughter as scenes show Kiri connecting to the planet’s larger ecosystem.

“Mighty,” Kiri responds.

The new trailer previews a new conflict between the Na’vi and humanity, who Jake and Neytiri helped banish from Pandora at the end of the original movie.

New Na’vi character Tonowari (Cliff Curtis) tells Jake that he and Neytiri “cannot bring your war here,” while another new character named Lo’ak describes The Way of Water as a means of connecting “all things… before your birth and after your death.”

Jake, Neytiri, their kids and the Na’vi face combat and destruction on Pandora’s land, under its oceans and in the skies above in the new trailer, as Jake tells Neytiri he needs her “with me” in its final moments.

“And I need you to be strong,” Jake tells Neytiri as large flames burn behind them. “Strong heart.”

In addition to Worthington, Saldana and Weaver, Avatar: The Way of Water stars Stephen Lang and a new addition to the franchise in Kate Winslet as the Na’vi character Ronal. Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Michelle Yeoh and Edie Falco also join the cast, according to the film’s official website.

20th Century Studios is celebrating the trailer’s launch Wednesday night by projecting a “stunning light show of massive proportions” featuring moments from the film over Niagara Falls.

Last Friday, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the much-anticipated sequel’s final runtime will clock in at around three hours and 10 minutes, citing unnamed sources. The movie will run about 29 minutes longer than Avatar.

Avatar: The Way of Water is in theaters Dec. 16.