13 years after it became one of the highest grossing films of all time, as well as kicked off the 3D film craze, Avatar is getting a sequel titled The Way of Water. That film is set to arrive in December, but before that, the original is getting re-released in 4K HDR.

The Avatar YouTube channel confirmed the news, serving up a trailer too for the announcement, along with a new poster featuring Neytiri, who is voiced and motion captured by Zoe Saldana.

The release date for the 4K HDR version is 23rd September, with local cinema company Ster-Kinekor already featuring it in the coming soon section of its home page. 23rd September is also the date displayed, but there is a TBA logo as well, which means the local re-release may differ from the globally advised date.

With lockdown restrictions lifted, more South Africans fully vaccinated, not to mention the general desire to return to “normal”, it will be interesting to see whether people are keen to watch the 2009 film in higher visual fidelity.

The same goes for The Way of Water, which is yet to generate any significant buzz despite the fact that rumours regarding sequels have been floating around for years.

An interesting element to consider regarding this announcement, is that the film will be removed from the Disney+ streaming platform. Speaking to Variety, however, a spokesperson confirmed that it will return in time for people to refresh themselves before The Way of Water lands in theatres.

Either way, 2022 will be the year we return to Pandora.