Early ‘Avatar’ Concept Posted on Instagram Shows the Jake Sully Design

Avatar was renowned for its show-stopping visuals and world-building capabilities, especially when it came to the Na’vi. But building an alien culture was no easy thing to achieve. A recent Instagram post reveals that the creation of the leading character, Jake Sully, started in December 2006. Given that the movie wasn’t to be released for another three years, designers spent quite a lot of time perfecting the design. Here’s more on the story.

How the Avatar Concept Art Got Made

One of the people involved in the early Avatar concept, Joseph C. Pepe, shared his role in creating the design. His Instagram post reveals how the project started – with a photo shoot of the actor. To achieve really successful results, the designer wanted to blend the new facial features with each actor/actress’ facial shape. That process was very time-consuming, though. To make matters worse, many of the initial designs were immediately rejected.

In fact, the Jake Sully Na’vi design Avatar fans like so much took more than 38 versions to perfect. All the hard labor was worth it, though, as the film became the highest-grossing movie at the time, with critics praising its incredible visual effects.

Further Developments of the Avatar Franchise

Expectedly, Avatar didn’t end with just one film and was turned into a franchise. The second installment, titled Avatar: The Way of Water, sees the main character trying to protect his family from human invaders. Sully finds a hideout in the Pandora ocean area. By the end of the movie, he’s had enough of all the running and takes to the offensive with another Na’vi clan.

Rumour has it that the third film has already been made, where Jake Sully might not be the leading character. James Cameron has already said that a new clan will be brought into the mix, as well as more friendly humans. Avatar 3 will be released in December of 2024.