There's officially less than a month left until the sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time, Avatar: The Way of Water, releases in theaters. For years now, fans have waited anxiously to set foot back on Pandora once again and follow more of Jake and Neytiri's story. In the 13 years since the original film, things have changed drastically with the two forming a family together and trying to make things work. With a familiar threat on the rise though, they're forced to relocate and take the fight back up against the encroaching human threat. A new trailer builds up that conflict and the stakes at risk in the return to James Cameron's epic sci-fi world.

The new footage shows more of the highly anticipated return to Pandora, reuniting audiences with the Sully family and all of the trouble that follows them. There's no shortage of high-flying action, deep-sea dives, and the sparks of romance and familial connections that make Cameron's world so compelling.

The Way of Water is heavily expanding on the world of Pandora with a heavy focus on marine life and the native Metkayina tribe. It's all part of Cameron's plans to create a truly massive world to revisit throughout its multiple sequels in the upcoming years. In a previous interview with Empire, the director drew parallels to The Lord of the Rings and the expansive stories illustrated across J.R.R. Tolkien's novels. With a massive runtime of over three hours, the film is expected to take its time acquainting audiences with the aquatic life seen throughout teasers and sewing the seeds for a grand storyline spanning the four sequels.

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Image via 20th Century Studios

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More Background on Avatar: The Way of Water

Besides Worthington and Saldaña, The Way of Water will see a slew of cast members returning from the first film, including Matt Gerald, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Dileep Rao, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver in a new role. For Cameron's second outing in Pandora, however, the already high-profile cast has expanded to further heights with Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, and Vin Diesel all coming aboard.

With the talented cast combined with Cameron's pedigree and the hype surrounding the return of Avatar after over a decade away, The Way of Water is looking at another massive return for all involved. Already, evidence is suggesting a historic turnout for the long-awaited sequel with a recent Fandango survey concluding that the sequel is the most anticipated film for Gen-Z this holiday season, beating out other cinematic titans like Damien Chezelle's Babylon and Disney's Strange World. Moreover, the original trailer for the film It'll have a long way to go to even sniff the original film's unimaginable heights of $2.905 billion at the box office, but everything shown so far has created an air of optimism around the future of the franchise and its commercial success.

Avatar: The Way of Water premieres in theaters on December 16. Check out the new trailer below.