People who have been visiting my pages for a long time, know that I've always been a sucker for pinball machines that have ocean themes, from Bally's 1989 solid state pin Atlantis (which I once owned the prototype machine for) to Gottlieb's 1975 electromechanical pin by the same name to Quetzal Pinball's more recent one-off Captain Nemo Pin...if it has ocean creatures in it, I want it! Heck, I've been a long-time advocate of a manufacturer making a pinball machine based upon the DC Comic Aquaman. Even though the movies were as my boys would say "Mid" the art on an Aquaman pin could be Epic!
With my love for Ocean Pins clear, when I saw the trailer for the upcoming movie Avatar 2 I almost lost my mind when I realized that it's subtitled "The Way of the Water." Why? Because there's been a rumor out there forever that Jersey Jack Pinball owns the rights to produce a pinball machine based upon the Avatar franchise. Given manufacturers' propensity to focus on the newest versions of a property, if JJP was to make an Avatar pin, one would think that it or at least a version of it would have an Ocean theme. That would absolutely blow my mind. Come on, how beautiful would a pinball machine based on scenes from this movie be? I've included the trailer and several pictures from the upcoming film below.
Yes the JJP - Avatar rumor has been out there for years, but the Avatar 2 movie has been delayed for practically a decade so a delay in the arrival of a pin based upon it is to be expected. We all have heard that Jersey Jack's designer Eric Munier is working on a pin based on Godfather and I'm not sure that Avatar is a Steve Ritchie-esque theme, but maybe Avatar is the theme that new JJP designer Mark Seiden was assigned. Or it's rumored that Munier is already working on his game after Godfather, maybe this is it?
This is probably wishful thinking on my part, but I would go bananas for an Ocean-themed Avatar pinball machine. Please make this happen Jack :). My family and I like the Avatar theme and movie that I'd even be happy with another pin based on the original Avatar film, but as long as the second movie doesn't suck, my heart is set on an Avatar: The Way of the Water pin.
Here's an interesting article about all of the circumstances that caused the Avatar sequel to be delayed.
Why Avatar: The Way of Water Took So Long to Make
Audiences have been waiting for Avatar: The Way of Water for 13 years now. With the release date looming, here's why it took so long to make.
1989 Bally Atlantis
1975 Gottlieb Atlantis
2015 Quetzal Captain Nemo
Waterworld pin?