He’ll be back.
In an exclusive report from Deadline Hollywood, it has been confirmed by maverick director James Cameron himself that Miles Quaritch, the main antagonist of Avatar played by Stephen Lang, will return in not one but all three planned sequels to the super-smash hit. Cameron expressed his enthusiasm for the character’s return by saying:
“Steven was so memorable in the first film, we’re privileged to have him back. I’m not going to say exactly how we’re bringing him back, but it’s a science fiction story, after all. His character will evolve into really unexpected places across the arc of our new three-film saga. I really look forward to working with such a gifted actor, who’s also become a good friend.”
After a lengthy string of production news since the first film’s release, it was recently reported that production of these sequels will start in late 2014, with a possibility that they will be filmed back-to-back for yearly releases. They are currently scheduled to be released sequentially in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
*SPOILERS FOR AVATAR BEYOND THIS POINT (if you somehow inexplicably managed not to see it yet)*
Being the sucker that I am for seeing independently-minded creators have fun with their little worlds, this sounds plenty exciting. While I can’t deny that the villain Lang played was nothing deep or spectacular, he served his purpose for Avatar well enough as the war-mongering asshole everyone hates that disrupts the peaceful nature of the benevolent creatures we’re rooting for. His death at the end of the film was satisfying, sure, but to me I feel he’s too good of a love-to-hate villain to use for only one installment in Cameron’s growing universe. Besides, the prospect of Quaritch being resurrected from a relatively brutal demise is something to look forward to seeing played out in the sequels, as the possibilities are endless in how entertaining it could be. Cyborg, clone, whatever — I just want to have an already effective villain continue to be in what will surely be a grand space opera saga.
What do you guys think? Do you think bringing Quaritch back is a good or bad idea? Any ideas of what would make a better antagonist? Post your thoughts in the comments below!
