Avatar: The Way of Water writers say ‘crazy’ James Cameron idea was in danger of making film ‘silly’

‘I think the audience kind of goes with it,’ film’s co-writer said

The writers of Avatar: The Way of Water have opened up about the scene they thought could have been too risky.

Earlier this month, James Cameron unveiled his expensive sequel, 13 years after the original was released.

The film, which has received mostly positive reviews, has become a box office hit, and is quickly making its way up 2022’s global box office rankings.

Its writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have now discussed the film in a lengthy interview, and specifically zoned in on a moment they believed to be a “high-wire act”.

The sequence in question explores the friendship between Jake’s son Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) and Payakan, a giant tulkun, which Silver described as essentially being about “a boy and his whale”.

Throughout the film, Lo’ak’s connection with the giant sea creature is explored and, at one moment, the pair talk to one another, with Payakan speaking in subtitles via humpback whale-like noises.

Silver acknowleged that, if this moment had been done incorrectly, it “could be thought of as absurd or crazy” by the audience.

“There’s a certain buy-in that happens when all the characters believe something very deeply, then you’re being introduced to something that’s totally alien to you,” she told Variety.

“The Metkayina believe so deeply in their tulkun brothers and sisters that I think the audience kind of goes with it.”

Silver then stated: “But it is a high-wire act. If it doesn’t play, then the movie becomes silly.”

The ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ sequence writers had to pull off to avoid making film ‘silly’ (20th Century Studios)

She praised “fearless” Cameron for “putting himself out there” with his “wonderful crazy” ideas.

Earlier this week, actor Stephen Lang cleared up fan frustration surrounding a scene viewers claimed “made no sense”, while audience members complained about a “giant” plot hole after watching the film.