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Avatar: The Way of Water is a 2022 American epic science fiction film and the sequel to the 2009 film Avatar, both directed by James Cameron. The film is distributed by 20th Century Studios, as the second installment in the Avatar film series. Cameron produced the film with Jon Landau and wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, which is based on a story the three wrote with Josh Friedman and Shane Salerno. Cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, and Matt Gerald reprise their roles from the original film, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a different role. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and Brendan Cowell.

Cameron, who had stated in 2006 that he would like to make sequels to Avatar if it was successful, announced the first two sequels in 2010 following the widespread success of the first film, with The Way of Water aiming for a 2014 release. However, the addition of three more sequels (for a total of five Avatar films) and the necessity to develop new technology in order to film performance capture scenes underwater, a feat never accomplished before, led to significant delays to allow the crew more time to work on the writing, preproduction, and visual effects.[6] Preliminary shooting for the film started in Manhattan Beach, California, on August 15, 2017, followed by principal photography simultaneously with Avatar 3 in Wellington on September 25, 2017. Filming concluded in late September 2020 after three years of shooting. Made on an estimated budget of $350–400 million, it is fourth most expensive film of all time.

The film's theatrical release has been subject to repeated delays, with the latest occurring on July 23, 2020. The film is set to be released on December 16, 2022, with a further three sequels to arrive in 2024, 2026 and 2028, though the latter two would depend on the commercial reception of The Way of Water.[10] Organizations like the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute named it as one of the top ten films of 2022.