Oona Chaplin joins the cast of James Cameron’s Avatar sequels

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Pretty much everyone who survived the events of AVATAR, as well as some who didn't, are expected to return for the whopping four sequels to the James Cameron epic, but there are still plenty of new characters to be cast. During CineEurope in Barcelona it was announced that Oona Chaplin (yes, Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter) will be heading to Pandora.

Plot details of the AVATAR sequels are being kept under wraps, but the Game of Thrones actress is said to be playing Varang, "a strong and vibrant central character who spans the entire length of the installments." AVATAR veterans Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore and Stephen Lang will all be returning, but Oona Chaplin won't be the only newbie on Pandora as Cliff Curtis (Fear the Walking Dead) is set to play Tonowari, the leader of the Metkayina, a reef people clan on Pandora. According to Sigourney Weaver, shooting on the sequels will begin by the fall, with James Cameron adding that each of the four sequels will be able to stand alone, but will together create a saga.

Update: The latest word from CineEurope says that production on the AVATAR sequels will officially begin on September 25th with performance capture.

By the time the first AVATAR sequel hits theaters in 2020, it will have been over a decade since the release of the first, but that sizable time-gap isn't causing James Cameron to lose any sleep.

Well it didn’t hurt Avatar, that there was no Avatar before Avatar. So I kind of rest my case. But it was a seven year gap between The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, seven year gap between Alien and Aliens. It’s gonna be obviously more like a ten year gap between Avatar and Avatar 2. But Avatar 2 you are going to with not the promise, but the certainty of three more films beyond that, and that’s a very different concept with the audience. And a lot of the delay has been around creating that overall vision. And by the way, this land will help bridge that gap in the public conscience. People will come here, and say, man I need some Avatar.

AVATAR 2 is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2020, followed by AVATAR 3 on December 17, 2021, AVATAR 4 on December 20, 2024 and AVATAR 5 on December 19, 2025.