Los Angeles: The director of “Avatar: The Way of Water”, James Cameron will not be present for the movie’s premiere in Los Angeles after testing positive for COVID-19.
“Jim has COVID but is feeling fine. He tested positive as part of a routine testing cadence. He will continue to complete his schedule virtually but will not be at the premiere,” a Disney spokesperson stated.
According to the statement, the director, who has been traveling around the world attending premieres for the highly anticipated movie, initially revealed his positive result while virtually attending the new “Pressure: James Cameron into the Abyss” exhibit opening at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
This Friday, experience the motion picture event of a generation. #AvatarTheWayOfWater only in theaters December 16. Get tickets now: https://t.co/9NiFEIpZTE pic.twitter.com/2LqhpCZizH
— Avatar (@officialavatar) December 12, 2022
Cameron shared that he wanted to “apologize to everyone who’s gathered there tonight. I can’t be at my own party.”
The director continued by stating that while returning from Tokyo, he “started to feel kind of heavy.”
“I got tested and sure enough I have COVID, so obviously I can’t be there, jeopardize other people,” Cameron further added.
In 2009, Cameron directed “Avatar,” which won three Oscars and went on to become the highest-grossing movie ever. Audiences are to return to the enchanted land of Pandora in “Avatar: The Way of Water,” where in the original movie the indigenous blue Na’vi people fought against human colonists for control of the moon’s natural riches.
It made a total of $2.92 billion at the global box office, and is the biggest film of all time, as per the reports. In 2019, Avengers: Endgame briefly stole the title from it, but after Avatar’s re-release, it reclaimed it.