Avatar4 and 5 get a new filming update from Miles Quaritch actor Stephen Lang ahead of the release ofAvatar: Fire and Ashlater this year. After serving as the central villain in James Cameron’s 2009 original film, Lang’s Quaritch returned to serve the same function in 2022’sAvatar: The Way of Water. The antagonist is now set to play a role in thestory forAvatar: Fire and Ash, which releases in December, and two more films, scheduled for 2029 and 2031, are expected to wrap up the epic saga.
In a recent interview withCollider, Lang reveals thathe now believes he has completed filming as Quaritch for all the remainingAvatarsequels. Though he admits that he could be required to come back at some point for supplementary filming of some sort, this is an intriguing update given the final film is still six years away from actually releasing in theaters. Check out Lang’s comment below:
“I give you a tentative yes, absolutely. But you know, with Jim, you never know. I believe I’m finished. I’ve already been finished! By God, I’ve shot enough! But as I say, with him, there’s a phone line that’s always open that says, ‘We need you here. Get your ass out here,’ and I’ll be there. I think it’s done. Ithinkwe’re done.”
What Lang’s Update Means For The Remaining Avatar Movies
The Franchise’s Filming Plans Explained
There are several ways to read Lang’s newAvatarsequels filming update. Though the specifics of the franchise’s filming schedule have been hard to piece together, a post from Norm Spellman actor Joel David Moore last July suggested he was heading back to New Zealand tofilm scenes forAvatar 4. It’s possible that filming on movies four and five was completed in one long stretch last year. Even thoughAvatar 5is still years away, it’s worth remembering thatThe Way of Waterstarted filming all the way back in 2017, with most of the third film shot concurrently.
James Cameron Has To Change His Villain Plan For Avatar 3, 4 & 5
Following Avatar: The Way of Water, it’s clear that Quaritch is a poorly developed villain and his status as the franchise’s big bad must change.
Lang himself already being done with filming doesn’t necessarily mean that all franchise filming has been completed. Instead, Lang’s reveal could speak to Quaritch’s role in what’s to come after theAvatar: The Way of Waterending. The character could end up just playing a smaller part in the remaining films, and this would mean considerably less filming time than actors like Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña. While Lang’s comment could be interpreted as evidence that Quaritch suffers an early death, Cameron has previously confirmed thatQuaritch will play a role in all three films that are to come.
Our Take On Lang’s Avatar Filming Update
Making An Avatar Movie Is A Unique Process
Insights into the production process for theAvatarmoviesare always interesting because this franchise doesn’t work like any other. In addition to a great deal of time for actual live-action photography,the movies require years-long post-production pipelines in order to bring all the CGI to life. This is further complicated by Cameron’s decision to shoot parts of the different movies together.
Avatar 4features a significant time jump, so Cameron shot parts of the film concurrently withThe Way of Waterto make sure the younger actors didn’t age too significantly.
While it remains unclear whether filming has fully wrapped on all the remainingAvatarmovies, it’s an interesting position for Lang to be in as an actor. When the fifth film does come out and he’s doing press, it will have been more than six years since he actually did any filming for it. More about theAvatarfranchise’s production timeline is sure to be revealed over the coming months and years, but, for now, audiences haveFire and Ashto look forward to in about ten months.
