'Avatar' Sequels: James Cameron Casts Kate Winslet in 'Sea People,' Teases Character

"Avatar" director James Cameron revealed that Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet is part of the franchise's upcoming film sequels, wherein she will portray one of the "Sea People."

When asked about Winslet's role in the sequel, which will partly take place underwater, the filmmaker shared that the actress is very excited to take on the character, as she has seen the world that they have created.

"She plays a character who's part of the Sea People, the reef people," Cameron told Vanity Fair in an interview. "The one thing she did do is demand that she do all her own water work. I said, 'All right, that's fine, we'll have to teach you how to free dive.'"

The filmmaker revealed that they have already started doing underwater capture, with actors holding their breath for three to four minutes.

He continued, "We've already been doing underwater capture. We did a scene last week with six teenagers, well, actually five teenagers and one 7-year-old underwater holding their breath for a couple minutes and acting, actually doing a dialogue scene under water because they speak kind of a sign language.

Though it has taken the team quite some time to get where they are today, Cameron does not see this as a delay. The script took four years to create, but it all worked out for everyone. The tech development and design teams were given more time to work on their tasks, so by the time the scripts were approved they were able to complete their designs.

According to Cameron, the films are "fully formed" in their own right. They build up across five installments "to a greater kind of meta narrative."

The next "Avatar" sequel was supposed to premiere in 2016. As of now, they have yet to announce a specific release date.