It’s been 13 years Avatar released in theaters, and fans are eagerly awaiting the return of some of their favorite characters. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Joel David Moore will reprise their roles, with Sigourney Weaver returning in a new role. However, most fans weren’t expecting another appearance from Stephen Lang, who played Colonel Miles Quaritch in the first film. Fortunately, the actor has been confirmed and is coming back for Avatar: The way of the waterthough in a “bluer” form, according to a statement to Empire.
Lang recently spoke to Bleeding Coolwhere he claimed he knew he was in an eventual Avatar sequel since 2010. Most fans weren’t sure if there would ever be a sequel due to the long process of getting the first movie on the big screen, but Lang says Cameron let him know his character was more nearly 13 years ago.
“I knew early on that there were plans to [Quaritch] back. Jim told me that long ago [following the original’s film release], and he repeated it in January 2010, saying, “You’ll be back.” What I didn’t know was how far I would come back. Little did I know Quaritch would get so centrally entangled in events. I didn’t know that he would react to events in such a significant way or that he would be responsible for events that happen. He is really a key figure in that. To say, “I wasn’t prepared,” I don’t know. I was excited, absolutely delighted to be a part of it.”
Lang’s character turned out to be quite the enemy in Avatar, forcing the Na’vi tribes to band together to defeat his imposing force. Fans expect his character to be just as much of an obstacle in the second film, though we’re yet to see if he’s the primary antagonist of The way of the water.
Lang admits there is some pressure in the area Avatar: The way of the water
Avatar is currently the highest-grossing film of all time, with four sequels on the way and currently in development. James Cameron has essentially spent the last decade of his career planning the continuation of the franchise, and The way of the water must be successful for the movies to continue. Stephen Lang recognizes some of the pressure, although he tells Bleeding Cool that the cast and crew have focused on making the best possible movie with the upcoming films.
“We all strive, and we all know the magnitude of the success the first had. Certainly, we have hopes, ambitions and wishes for the second. The best we can do, and this is what we did: set foot in front of the other, keep grinding it out and make the best movie possible then do whatever it takes to make it successful, that’s why i think the re-release of ‘Avatar’ was a really smart thing to do, and it didn’t necessarily pay off If it hadn’t done what it did and gotten the near-universal acclaim I think that would have been a downer [laughs] as for the prosecutions. The fact is that it seems like it has been embraced by people, which fills us all with hope and expectation.”
MovieWeb recently spoke with Lang for an exclusive interview, in which the actor shared what he thinks is the legacy of Avatar will be. His thoughts can be found here, and fans can see more when his character returns to the big screen. Avatar: The way of the water premieres in theaters later this year on December 16.