The ‘Stranger Things' effect: James Cameron on why the ‘Avatar' sequels had to be filmed together

James Cameron, the sci-fi genius, has an expression that describes the amazing phenomenon of child actors growing up faster than their characters in time-linked TV series and sequels. The filmmaker shot Avatar: The Way of Water and the next series of Avatar installments one after the other because he wanted to keep up with these inevitable growth spurts. Cameron explained to Entertainment Weekly that if you don't capture children while they are still, you get -- and I love Stranger Things - the 'Stranger Things Effect', where they appear to be 27 but still in high school. It's a great show. We'll suspend our disbelief. Cameron said that Champion was already growing like a weed six years ago when he was chosen for Avatar. This was as a 12-year old. Bliss was 7 years old when she got the role of Tuk. When Avatar 4 arrives in 2026 and their characters reach the end of their timeline, Champion will be 22 years old. Bliss, however, would be 17 years older. The audience will have to wait a while to find out if there are any grown-up versions. This is due to arrive in 2028. The Avatar story was in full swing and required both actors to get their current-age footage taken. This report also shows that the footage was used for Avatar 3 'as a first act' of Avatar 4. Adult actors are more relaxed and have many returning to reprise their Pandoran roles on Cameron's alien planet-scape. Bliss and Champion star alongside an adult cast which includes Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana as well as Sigourney Weber, Kate Winslet and others. Avatar: The Way of Water currently plays in theaters across the country. You can watch more James Cameron movies here. Watch True Lies on Peacock.