In addition to announcing early this year that there will be four “Avatar” sequels instead of three as previously reported, critically-acclaimed writer, director, and producer James Cameron also said that Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang shall be returning to the franchise.
The respective characters of the two actors died in the first movie so everyone was surprised with the announcement. Cameron tried to appease everyone when he said back then that nobody dies in a fiction movie.
It is not clear initially though if Sigourney Weaver shall be reprising her role as Dr. Grace Augustine or whether Stephen Lang will take on the role again of the ruthless Col. Miles Quaritch.
However, James Cameron has just confirmed that Stephen Lang will reprise his Col. Quaritch character in “Avatar 2” because his rendition of the character in the first film was the foremost reason why Cameron wants him back.
In a recent interview with Stephen Lang for the promotion of his upcoming movie “Don’t Breathe,” he said that at no point during the making of the first movie did he think that a sequel to “Avatar” was inevitable.
But when “Avatar” became a record-breaking success around the world and it became a global phenomenon, Cameron told Lang that he will be coming back. Lang asked how and Cameron said that he told him about it already, details Cinema Blend.
The actor said Cameron may have mentioned it once but he can no longer recall it. However, that is no longer important to him because what is important is that he will be returning to “Avatar 2,” something which he described as not being real at all.
Story of Jake and Neytiri is not yet finished
Many fans of “Avatar” believe that an “Avatar 2” is imperative because the story of Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldana and Jake, played by Sam Worthington, is not yet finished.
It could be recalled that in the first film, Jake was saved from dying by Neytiri and the rest of the Na’vi tribe and his soul was transferred permanently into his Avatar with the help of the Tree of Souls, notes the Vine Report.
James Cameron did more than just give a sequel to “Avatar,” he mapped out four sequels in total which will be shown beginning in December 2018 until December 2023.
All four sequels are now in a pre-production phase and will be filmed in one sitting by 20th Century Fox with James Cameron at the helm of it all.
Cameron said that they will shoot in such a way as though they are filming a mini-series, confirming that they will shoot across all “Avatar” scripts simultaneously.
He explained that it is like on Monday, they will do a scene for Movie Four, on Tuesday, they will do a scene for Movie One, and so on. He added that they will be working across, essentially, eight hours of story.
Cameron also said that filming the next “Avatar” films is probably the most challenging thing he has ever done, as he and his team have to keep track of the story arc while filming all four films. He even likened it to shooting all three “Godfather” films at the same time.
Turning into a villain
While there would be no change in the character of Stephen Lang in “Avatar 2,” rumors have it that there would be a drastic one for the character of Sigourney Weaver.
As early as last year, there have been reports that Sigourney Weaver shall return to “Avatar 2” and fans and critics were wondering how the sequel is going to handle it considering that her character has already died in the original film.
Cameron said that Sigourney Weaver can very well return to “Avatar 2” because nobody dies in a fictional film.
Latest rumors are now circulating that Sigourney Weaver shall return to “Avatar 2” no longer as Dr. Grace Augustine but as the main villain of the film.