Avatar 2 Star Stephen Lang Teases How His Dead Villain Returns

Of all of the blockbusters set to hit in the next few years, Avatar 2 is definitely one the audiences are particularly curious about. The sequel, which is coming out over a decade after James Cameron's original film, is expected to expand the world of Pandora with the help of an ensemble cast. Among those cast members are two whose characters seemingly bit the dust in the first Avatar film - Sigourney Weaver, who played Grace Augustine, and Stephen Lang, who played Colonel Miles Quaritch. As Lang recently told The National, he will essentially be playing Quaritch across the four planned Avatar sequels, and is excited for the challenge that will bring.

"It's very satisfying to know that the character was valued enough and made enough of an impression to [have Cameron] say 'we're not done with him yet'," Lang explained. "That, initially, was kind of wonderful, to me. My job is really to advocate the role that I'm playing, and so it's satisfying to have that much more time to discover Quaritch, find out what makes him tick, talk about him, and hopefully defy expectations that people have for the character, to create new expectations. I'm working now with a much broader canvas than I was with the first Avatar, and it keeps me in concert with James Cameron to really go to town and examine the character in detail. That, to me, is totally tremendously satisfying and challenging."

"He has evolved, definitely," Lang continued. "We're making four more films, so if he doesn't evolve, we're in some kind of trouble. And it's not always a question of evolution, it's about becoming more deeply entrenched. I'm still discovering it. That's something I'll be discovering as we continue to work because we're by no means near finished with this process."

Avatar 2 will also see the return of Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, CCH Pounder, and Matt Gerald. New cast members include Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, David Thewlis, Vin Diesel, and CJ Jones.

Are you excited to see how Avatar 2 comes together? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Avatar 2 will be released in theaters on December 17, 2021. If all goes according to plan, Avatar 3 will be released on December 22, 2023, Avatar 4 will be released on December 19, 2025, and Avatar 5 will be released on December 17, 2027.