Walt Disney Studios’ presentation at CinemaCon 2022 took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas earlier today and included a first look at the Avatar sequel.
Disney’s head of theatrical distribution, Tony Chambers, along with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Avatar producer Jon Landau, unveiled the 2022 theatrical release slate, dazzling convention attendees with an exclusive preview of titles from Marvel Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, and 20th Century Studios.
20TH CENTURY STUDIOS
The preview included a look at three upcoming releases from 20th Century Studios: The Bob’s Burgers Movie, the newest film from David O. Russell (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook), and James Cameron’s highly-anticipated Avatar sequel.
The title of Russell’s film, which will open in theaters on November 4, is Amsterdam. CinemaCon attendees were treated to a sizzle reel of footage from the film, which is an original romantic crime epic about three close friends who find themselves at the center of one of the most shocking secret plots in American history.
Based on facts that meet fiction, Amsterdam stars Academy Award winner Christian Bale, two-time Oscar nominee Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Alessandro Nivola, Andrea Riseborough, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Shannon, Mike Myers, Taylor Swift, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldana, with Oscar-winner Rami Malek and two-time Academy Award winner Robert De Niro.
Written and directed by five-time Oscar nominee David O. Russell, the film is produced by Arnon Milchan, Matthew Budman, Anthony Katagas, David O. Russell, and Christian Bale, with Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, and Sam Hanson serving as executive producers.
The title of the Avatar sequel, which will open in theaters on December 16, is Avatar: The Way of Water. Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, Avatar: The Way of Water begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, 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.
Directed by James Cameron and produced by Cameron and Jon Landau, the film stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, Giovanni Ribisi, and Kate Winslet. To whet audiences’ appetites, the studio will re-release Avatar in theaters on September 23.
The teaser trailer, which was screened in 3D for the very first time today and drew highly enthusiastic responses from the CinemaCon audience, will debut exclusively in theaters with Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 6.
In addition, Zoe Saldana, who stars in both Avatar: The Way of Water and Amsterdam, will be receiving the CinemaCon “Star of the Year” award at the “Big Screen Achievement Award” Ceremony on Thursday evening, April 28.
The studio also screened the first six minutes of The Bob’s Burgers Movie, which opens in theaters nationwide on May 27, for convention attendees. The animated, big-screen, musical comedy-mystery-adventure based on the long-running Emmy-winning series showcases voice talent, which includes H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, with Zach Galifianakis, and Kevin Kline.
The film is directed by Loren Bouchard & Bernard Derriman. The screenplay is by Loren Bouchard & Nora Smith. The producers are Loren Bouchard, Nora Smith, and Janelle Momary-Neely.
MARVEL STUDIOS
Marvel Studios took the CinemaCon audience on a thrill ride through the Multiverse with footage from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which opens in U.S. theaters on May 6. With the film, the MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before.
Fans will journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, and Xochitl Gomez, with Michael Stühlbarg and Rachel McAdams. The film is directed by Sam Raimi, and Kevin Feige is the producer.
Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Eric Hauserman Carroll, Scott Derrickson, and Jamie Christopher serve as executive producers. The screenplay was written by Michael Waldron.
PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS
CinemaCon attendees were treated to footage from Disney and Pixar’s upcoming feature film Lightyear, which opens in theaters on June 17. A sci-fi action-adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the hero who inspired the toy, Lightyear follows the legendary Space Ranger after he’s marooned on a hostile planet 4.2 million light-years from Earth alongside his commander and their crew.
As Buzz tries to find a way back home through space and time, he’s joined by a group of ambitious recruits and his charming robot companion cat, Sox. Complicating matters and threatening the mission is the arrival of Zurg, an imposing presence with an army of ruthless robots and a mysterious agenda.
The film features the voices of Chris Evans as accomplished Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear, Uzo Aduba as his commander and best friend Alisha Hawthorne, and Peter Sohn as Sox. Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, and Dale Soules lend their voices to the Junior Zap Patrol’s Izzy Hawthorne, Mo Morrison, and Darby Steel, respectively, and James Brolin can be heard as the enigmatic Zurg.
The voice cast also includes Mary McDonald-Lewis as onboard computer I.V.A.N., Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Commander Burnside, Efren Ramirez as Airman Diaz, and Keira Hairston as Young Izzy.
The film is directed by Angus MacLane (co-director of Finding Dory), produced by Galyn Susman (Toy Story That Time Forgot), and features a score by award-winning composer Michael Giacchino (The Batman, Up).
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to cover the latest streaming, movie, TV, and game news.