First Full Trailer Released for Zoe Saldana’s “Avatar” Sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water”

Zoe Saldana is heading the way of water

The first full official trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, starring the 44-year-old Puerto Rican and Dominican American actress, has been released.

Zoë SaldañaDisney will begin the overseas rollout of the sequel to the highest-grossing film ever on December 14 with its U.S. release set for December 16.

The Way of Water is set more than a decade after the events of the first Avatar film. It follows the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri [Saldana] and their kids), 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 as they fight for their home on Pandora. Brimming with stunning visuals and new creatures, the trailer also features a callback to the original movie with the signature Na’vi line: “I see you.”

Zoe Saldana, Avatar: The Way of Water,The sequel stars Sam Worthington, Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, Edie Falco, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Oona Chaplin, Jermaine Clement and more.

Disney previously previewed a teaser trailer at CinemaCon in April before playing it exclusively in theaters on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessand then put it online in May.

The studio, Cameron and producer Jon Landau have been making the rounds with footage from the film, screening during June’s CineEurope conference in Barcelona and at D23 in September as well as for executives from China Film Group (a release there is still unconfirmed).

Disney also released a remastered 4K HDR version of the original film in September to set the table for the sequel, and included sneak footage tagged onto the end.

Sources indicate The Way of Water will clock in at more than three hours, but no exact final run-time has been decided. The original was two hours and 41 minutes.

In total, four sequels are planned. Said Landau in Vegas, “The journey across all four movies will create a connected saga.”

Said Cameron at the time, the new films are “pushing limits even farther with high frame rate, higher resolution 3D and greater reality in our visual effects. I wanted our return to Pandora to be something really special. Every shot is designed for the biggest screen, highest resolution and most immersive 3D available. I think we pulled it off.”

John Leguizamo to Star in Paramount+’s Series “American Tragedies: Waco – The Trials”

John Leguizamo is going back on trials

The 61-year-old Colombian actor will star in American Tragedies: Waco – The Trials, Paramount+’s follow up to the 2018 miniseries.

John LeguizamoLeguizamo will reprise his role in the new series.

David Costabile and J. Smith Cameron are among the stars joining the series. Giovanni RibisiJohn HoogenakkerKeean Johnson and Abbey Lee also star.

Paramount Network’s Waco, fronted by Taylor Kitsch, explored the events in February 1993 in Mount Carmel, a small religious community when a raid by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) on David Koresh and his followers, known as the Branch Davidians, led to a massive standoff and the death of dozens.

American Tragedies: Waco – The Trials will explore the wide-ranging fallout following these events and the uneven scales of justice the surviving Branch Davidians faced.

It will also delve into how the horrific events fueled the emerging ‘Patriot’ movement, which ultimately led to the most destructive act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history – the Oklahoma City bombing.

Leguizamo will reprise his role as Jacob Vasquez, an ATF agent who worked undercover during the lead up to Waco.

Michael Shannon, an exec producer on the series, will also reprise his role as Gary Noesner, an FBI hostage negotiator who has PTSD from the failed negotiations with the Branch Davidians in Waco.

The series comes from creators, exec producers and showrunners Drew and John Erick Dowdle. It is designed to air in 2023 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the tragic events in Texas.

Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios exec producers also include Andrew Gettens and Lauren Mackenzie, who will also write, David C. Glasser, David Hutkin, Bob Yari and Ron Burkle.

Kid Cudi to Appear in the Psychological Thriller “Meadowland”

Kid Cudi is heading to the Meadowlands

The 30-year-old part-Mexican American hip-hop artist-turned-actor, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, has been cast in the psychological drama Meadowland.

Kid Cudi

Directed by award-winning cinematographer Reed Morano in her directing debut, the film centers on Sarah (Olivia Wilde) and David (Luke Wilson), a New York couple dealing with the unthinkable after their son disappears.

No word yet on who Kid Cudi will portray in the psychological thriller.

In addition to Kid Cudi, Wilson and Wilde, the film also stars Giovanni Ribisi, Mark Feuerstein, Kevin Corrigan and Juno Temple.

Meadowland is currently in production.

Kid Cudi, who is starring in the film version of HBO’s series Entourage, previously starred in the premium cable network’s series How to Make It in America. He also appeared opposite Aaron Paul in the DreamWorks video game film adaptation Need For Speed.

Additionally, Kid Cudi wrapped the films James White and Two Night Stand.

Plaza Cast in “A Many Splintered Thing”

Aubrey Plaza has lined up her next motion picture project…

The 28-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian and Parks and Recreation star has been cast in the ensemble film A Many Splintered Thing.

Aubrey Plaza

Directed by Justin Reardon, the film will feature Luke Wilson, Chris Evans, Michelle Monaghan, Topher Grace and Giovanni Ribisi.

In the vein of Amelie and (500) Days Of Summer, A Many Splintered Thing tells the story of a young man disillusioned by love who meets a breathtaking young woman at a charity dinner while pretending to be a philanthropist. Turns out that she’s engaged to a guy who doesn’t like her going on dates. Challenged by the chase, and egged on by his eclectic friends, he feigns a platonic relationship in order to keep seeing her as he tries to conquer her heart. Grace will play the poser’s best friend.

Earlier this year, Plaza earned a Young Hollywood Award for her breakthrough performance in Safety Not Guaranteed, her first starring role in a major film.

Production on A Many Splintered Thing begins November 3 in Los Angeles.

Peña Appears in New “Gangster Squad” Trailer

Michael Peña’s about to go all gangsta…

The 36-year-old Mexican American actor is set to appear in the highly anticipated film Gangster Squad.

Michael Pena

As seen in the just-released trailer, the upcoming crime film chronicles the Los Angeles Police Department’s fight to keep Mickey Cohen and the east coast mafia out of LA in the 1940s and 1950s.

Peña, who will be starring as Cesar Chavez in a biopic about the legendary Latino labor leader and civil rights activist, portrays detective Navidad Ramirez in Gangster Squad.

Along with Peña, the cast includes Sean Penn as Cohen, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Mireille Enos, Anthony Mackie, Nick Nolte and Giovanni Ribisi.

The film is set to be released on September 7, 2012 by Warner Bros. Pictures.