Edward Norton turned down a role in Avatar 2 because it wasn’t an alien

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

When it comes to A-list talent actors you'd be hard pressed to find many on the same level as Edward Norton. In a film career that's spanned over two decades and earned him three Oscar nominations, Norton's made a habit of taking on top-tier projects, whether it's classics like FIGHT CLUB or Marvel fare like THE INCREDIBLE HULK. Well it turns out the AMERICAN HISTORY X star almost had a role in James Cameron's upcoming AVATAR 2. There was just one small problem: it wasn't for an alien.

In a recent interview with Total Film Magazine, Norton said Cameron had approached him about a part in the sequel, but Norton only wanted to be a Na'vi, one of the blue-skinned aliens from Pandora.

I am friends with Jim [Cameron], and actually enormously admire and kind of adore him," he said "So when he wanted me to do something in Avatar 2, I basically told him, 'If I’m not a Na’vi, I’m not doing it. I’m not being part of the industrial world, coming in to destroy Pandora. I’m either a Na’vi or nothing."

It seems as though Norton's reasoning came from a desire not to play an environment destroying villain like Stephen Lang's Miles Quaritch in the first film. I have to admit I'm a little impressed by the situation. Most actors would prefer to have their faces plastered on the screen rather than be a motion capture/CGI rendered image. Not so with Norton, who can next be seen in MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN on November 1, where he plays a private detective with Tourette's Syndrome who uncovers a vast conspiracy after his mentor is killed. Joblo's own Chris Bumbray caught the film this year at TIFF and you can read his review here.

We'll have to wait a little longer for Cameron's sci-fi sequel however. AVATAR 2 hits theaters December 17, 2021.