Avatar 2: James Cameron Wanted to Avoid “‘Stranger Things’ Effect” of Teens Who “Look Like They’re 27”

The cast of Avatar: The Way of Water includes Jack Champion, who is now 18 but started filming at the age of 13.

20TH CENTURY STUDIOS

James Cameron is well aware that his projects aren’t the only ones to have dealt with child cast members’ changing appearances over the years.

During a recent Entertainment Weekly interview, the filmmaker offered further context for his decision to shoot his sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water at the same time as the franchise’s third film, scheduled for a 2024 release, and a portion of the fourth movie, given that growth spurts for the younger performers could change the way they look.

For example, actor Jack Champion, who plays Spider in the films, was 13 when The Way of Water began shooting but is now 18.

“Otherwise, you get the Stranger Things effect where they’re supposed to still be in high school [but] they look like they’re 27,” Cameron explained. “You know, I love the show. It’s OK, we’ll suspend disbelief. We like the characters, but you know.”

Champion praised the connection he formed with Cameron over their four and a half years of filming. “He’s just a cinematic genius,” Champion said. “After so many years, he has kind of become like a father figure to me.”

Champion said that watching The Way of Water can feel like a “time capsule” given that he has been growing up in front of the cameras: “So it’s cool to see my teenage years onscreen, but I can still get immersed in the world of Pandora.”

Avatar 2: James Cameron Wanted to Avoid “‘Stranger Things’ Effect” of Teens Who “Look Like They’re 27”

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