The Avatar sequels -- not just Avatar 2, but parts three through five -- are shaping up to be one massive James Cameron reunion. Not only are they bringing back heavy-hitter starts from the original (including Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, as well as Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang), but Titanic star Kate Winslet also revealed a reunion of her own when she took a part in the upcoming movies. So very few of us should be surprised when Avatar actor Giovanni Ribisi has now confirmed that he's back... for all four sequels.
To a certain extent, this makes sense. Giovanni Ribisi's character in the original film, Parker Selfridge, was one of the humans working for the Resources Development Administration (RDA), and was as villainous as Stephen Lang's Quaritch. Since it has been confirmed that Quaritch is somehow coming back for Avatar 2 -- despite, you know, dying in the first one -- then bringing Parker Selfridge back lines up, as well.
Deadline, which has the news, says that filming already is underway in California on Avatar 2. It's James Cameron's intention to film, basically, Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 together, then dive into parts 4 and 5 once the third one opens. Though, from what he has been saying, he has the scripts for the next four Avatar movies in place, which explains why he knows which actors and characters he will need.
It might be odd that James Cameron brought back pretty much the entire cast of the original film. What type of story could he have in mind that would require him to keep all of these players around for what amounts to a five-arc narrative?
That being said, the director recently announced the names of several new actors to join the Avatar family, including many young kids who will be play the children of leads Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). The descriptions of these characters indicate that we will explore many new corners of Pandora and beyond in the sequels. Head over here for a complete rundown of what we know about these characters.
So, Avatar 2 is filming, and will be released on December 18, 2020. Avatar 3 will follow up a year later. Hoping to see something... you know, sooner? Well, we have a full rundown of all the movies opening in 2018, so peruse that. And if you are original Avatar co-star Michelle Rodriguez, I'd stay by your telephone.
