Avatar star says fans will be “enchanted and fascinated” by sequels

Next year, we’ll finally see the long-anticipated next installment of James Cameron’s Avatar franchise, over a decade after the original hit theaters. Given Avatar‘s status as the highest-grossing movie of all time, there’s certainly a lot of curiosity over whether the sequels can live up to its example. Returning star Stephen Lang (Colonel Miles Quaritch) thinks they will.

Lang’s involvement already gives away a secret. If you don’t remember, his character was killed in the final act of the first movie. How he manages to come back to life remains a mystery. Regardless, he’s back, and his role continues through at least Avatar 3.

“I think they’ll be enchanted and fascinated,” Lang told Entertainment Weekly. “Look, there are people who are going to just adore this world.”

"I was in communication just last week with New Zealand, with my director, and everything’s great — he’s working hard. My acting work on both Avatar 2 and 3 is complete. I might have to go back and do a line here and there, but I’m really done. I hate to even call it post-production, what’s going on now, because it really is the making of the film. It’s just a beautifully imagined universe that Cameron has conceived of here. The partners we have, the people working by his [side], are committed to the vision of it and they bring so much to the table, from the actors to the caterers and everybody else. I’m looking forward to it as much as everyone else. It’s been so long in the making, so long a part of my life."

Don’t expect Lang to give away any more details. He’s prepared to stay silent from now on, for fear of being told off. “I have been barred from saying anything,” he said. “Basically they cut my b—s off if I do.”

See photos from the set of Avatar 2!

Following the end of filming on Avatar 2, director James Cameron took to Instagram to share his joy and to thank the cast and crew for their efforts:

"To our New Zealand Crew & the entire NZ film industry: It is your artistic talent, passion & technological knowhow that makes us proud to call NZ home for live action filming across all of the Avatar movies.  There is no better place in the world to film."

The post included a collection of photos from the set. As always with Pandora, things are looking very blue. There are lots of shots that look to be taken around water, which makes sense given the subtitle of the sequel is rumored to be The Way of Water. Take a look at the tiny photos below:

Avatar 2 will premiere in December 2022 while Avatar 3 is due out in 2024. Will it give superhero movies a hard time at the box office, or will it go down like a lead balloon? Only time will tell. With sequels going all the way to Avatar 5, there are high expectation for this franchise.

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