American filmmaker James Cameron will not be attending the premiere of his highly anticipated film Avatar: The Way of Water in Los Angeles as he has tested positive for COVID-19.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, a Disney spokesperson said, "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."
The filmmaker initially revealed the infection Sunday night, during the opening ceremony of his multimedia experience 'Pressure: James Cameron into the Abyss' at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He was set to attend the event in person but spoke at the opening reception via Zoom.
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Avatar: The Way of Water, the sequel to the Award-winning 2009 epic adventure Avatar, stars Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, and Kate Winslet.
20th Century Studios will release the movie in India in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam on December 16, 2022.
Meanwhile, reports have claimed that the production budget alone for the film has reached USD 250 million.