The Australian premiere for Avatar: Fire and Ash has been canceled following the recent shooting in Bondi Beach.
“Out of deep respect for the victims of the Bondi shooting, the planned Avatar: Fire and Ash premiere event today in Sydney has been cancelled,” read a statement from event organizers shared to multiple outlets on Monday, December 15. “Our hearts are with the community, the victims, their families and loved ones.”
The Sydney premiere was scheduled for Monday, and the film’s director, James Cameron, and star Sam Worthington, who was born in Australia, were confirmed to attend. There was also going to be a press junket, which was subsequently canceled.
News broke on Sunday, December 14, that a mass shooting took place at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach, which is right outside Sydney. According to a press release from police in New South Wales, Australia, 16 people were confirmed to be dead. One of the victims was a Holocaust survivor. More than 40 individuals sustained injuries.
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There were two suspected shooters who were reported to be a father-son duo. The father was killed on site after being shot by police while the son has been hospitalized for critical injuries. He remains under police guard at this time.
“This type of disgraceful activity, the taking of innocent lives is unacceptable to New South Wales. It’s not our way of life,” NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said during a press conference. “I’ve been very clear since I’ve been Commissioner that as a police force, we won’t stand for this style of violence.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also addressed the deadly incident in a press conference on Sunday, where he condemned the attack.
“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith,” Albanese said. “An act of evil anti-semitism, terrorism, that has struck the heart of our nation. An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, which premieres on Friday, December 19, is the third installment in Cameron’s science fiction franchise. The original film premiered in 2009 while its sequel was released in 2022. In addition to Worthington, 49, the film stars Zoe Saldaña, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Giovanni Ribisi, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement and more.
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Ahead of its theatrical release, a premiere was held in New Zealand over the weekend. Cameron, 71, Worthington and more attended the special event on Saturday, December 13. Avatar: Fire and Ash and the second film Avatar: Way of Water were both filmed in New Zealand.
“I think it represents a lot of civic pride and national pride in the film sector here,” Cameron said of how great the film community is in New Zealand in an interview with local outlet RNZ on the red carpet. “We only have crews here because of the Aotearoa local filmmakers.”
Saldaña, for her part, attended the Avatar: Fire and Ash premiere in Miami over the weekend.