Stephen Lang teases “extreme growth” for Avatar villain Miles Quaritch

Somehow, Avatar villain Miles Quaritch is returning for the sequel(s). Actor Stephen Lang teased a fascinating arc for his character.

Earlier this month, James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi Avatar officially overtook Avengers: Endgame to reclaim the crown as the highest-grossing movie of all time at the global box office. Its haul now stands at $2.8 billion, a figure that Cameron will no doubt aim to beat with the release of Avatar 2 next year.

The sequel is poised to welcome back most of the cast members from the first movie, including antagonist Miles Quaritch. A battle-hardened tough guy and brutal leader, he served as the commander of operations for RDA security on Pandora. During the assault on the Tree of Souls, he was killed after Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) shot two arrows into his chest.

There’s no coming back from that, is there? Apparently there is, although we don’t know how. I suppose in a movie where humans are able to occupy the bodies of aliens, a lot is possible.

Speaking to ComingSoon.net, Lang teased that his character might be a little different than you remember. “I’m not gonna say, ‘No, he’s absolutely the same’. I think he’s an incredibly fascinating character and he wouldn’t be back if Jim Cameron wasn’t fascinated in him as well and kind of bent on seeing where he goes. Where does that character lead him as a writer, as a director? And where does it lead me as an actor?”

"And so, I think you can absolutely look for some areas of extreme growth in the character; and then probably areas of regression in the character as well, hopefully, over a period of four more films. Of course, we need him to be very, very interesting, where, by the end you’ve taken a journey, or you’ve witnessed a character go on a life journey that was pretty interesting. You know, that you were glad that you could observe. So that’s what we’re trying to do."

The 68-year-old Lang was also asked if Miles will retain his shredded physique from the first Avatar. He definitely looked like the kind of guy you didn’t want to get in a fight with. “In the new films I’m leaner — I am leaner, there’s no question, but just as defined,” Lang said. “That’s the deal.”

The resurrection of Miles Quaritch is one of many questions we have about Avatar 2. The sequel is slated to premiere on December 16, 2022. James Cameron is making additional adventures in Pandora, too. The third movie will premiere in December 2024, with the fourth and fifth releasing in 2026 and 2028 respectively.

This could prove to be a decade of Avatar dominating the box office. Cameron is giving it his best shot, at least.

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