After playing the steely patriarch, Eleanor Young, for Jon M. Chu's CRAZY RICH ASIANS, and gearing up to lead her own STAR TREK: DISCOVERY spin-off series as Philippa Georgiou, it's been announced that Michelle Yeoh is booking a trip to Pandora for James Cameron's AVATAR sequels.
“Throughout her career, Michelle has always created unique and memorable characters,” said Cameron. “I look forward to working with Michelle to do the same thing on the ‘Avatar’ sequels.”
Upon signing onto the AVATAR sequels, the legendary Malaysian actress has agreed to play scientist Dr. Karina Mogue. The exact nature of her character remains elusive at this time, though I'd wager that Dr. Mogue will act as a specialist studying Pandora's unique flora, fauna, and cat-like denizens. The first of four follow-ups to Cameron's 2009 sensory-spectacle is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 18, 2020, with the remaining sequels set to hit on the same weekend over the next couple of years. If you're the type who likes to plan your movie weekends in advance, allow me to break it all down for you. The third installment of AVATAR will land on December 17, 2021; AVATAR 4 on December 20, 2024; and finally, AVATAR 5 on December 19, 2025.
To this day, Cameron's AVATAR is still the highest-grossing film of all time, with $2.8 billion earned from its worldwide theatrical run. Originally, the franchise was meant to end after the events of AVATAR 3, but after careful consideration, Cameron and his team realized that there's simply too much material to cram into just three films. Cameron and Jon Landau are producing through their Lightstorm Entertainment label, with Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver each returning to reprise their roles from the original. Meanwhile, Kate Winslet and GAME OF THRONES alum Oona Chaplin have recently been added to the cast.
Are you psyched for more AVATAR? Sorry, I'll re-phase that, are you excited for five movies worth of AVATAR? Do you think the original will be able to hold onto its 'top-earner' crown by the end of Marvel's AVENGERS: ENDGAME theatrical run? We all know how much Cameron disapproves of the superhero genre, so don't you think it would be rather poetic for Cameron's action-fantasy flick to be un-seated by Captain America and the rest of Earth's Mightiest Heroes? I certainly think so. Mwuahaha! Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.