Avatar Sequels Officially Sign Zoe Saldana And Sam Worthington
Earlier today, Miami native Ron Bavatar filed a lawsuit against James Cameron for Avatar sounding too much like his last name. Just kidding! We’ve actually got some good news for Avatar this time, as actors Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington have both finalized their deals to star in Cameron’s three sequels that will be coming out over the next few years. This is no surprise, as both of them were expected to return whenever the sequel was first talked about, but I guess not all of the negotiations were complete until now. I’m guessing any delays were not due to Worthington demanding he deserved more money.
The Avatar sequels will all film back-to-back-to-back at some point soon, which severely limits the actors’ careers outside of Pandora. Not that they’ll be complaining, I’m sure. The different screenplays are being handled by a small army, as Cameron brought in Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Shane Salerno (Savages), and Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) to help him pen the scripts.
Unfortunately, we’re not sure of any story particulars at this point, though THR got wind that Jake (Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana) have children, which brings new meaning to “artificial insemination.” The only other thing we’re certain of is that Stephen Lang is returning as major dickhead Colonel Miles Quaritch, despite the fact that he died in the first film. Maybe he’ll be reincarnated as their child, or was resurrected and will serve as their babysitter. The options at this point are endless, especially considering they’ve got at least another six hours of storylines to deliver.
Some would say all the films need is Cameron’s craftsmanship in order to be outright successes, but it’s good that the director puts as much faith in his actors as he does his cameras and computer designers. In a press release, Cameron said:
Jake Sully is a rare combination of passion, strength, street smarts and soul, which requires a lot from an actor. Sam brought to the role a combination of sensitivity, vulnerability and strength. Zoe captured every aspect of the character I envisioned, bringing to Neytiri a mix of delicacy, fierceness and incredible physicality. I am beyond pleased they’ll be returning with us to Pandora.
This is bad news for anyone who thought actor Chris Pratt might try and take over the majority of sci-fi tentpole films coming out in the next few years. But here’s some good news: Disney officially broke ground on the foundation for their upcoming Avatarland addition to their Animal Kingdom theme park. Take a look at the announcement video below, with producer Jon Landau.
While Worthington’s career never quite turned him into a superstar, you can find him in Sabotage, the upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle from David Ayers, and the crime drama Kidnapping Freddy Heineken with Anthony Hopkins. Saldana has been extremely busy, following up her Star Trek Into Darkness and Out of the Furnace performances with roles in Guardians of the Galaxy, The Book of Life, the Nina Simone biopic Nina, and NBC’s upcoming Rosemary’s Baby miniseries. Hopefully Neytiri’s baby won’t be born of such evil.
