This December marks the long-awaited return to Pandora with Avatar: The Way of Water. Fans of the franchise were extremely excited to see get a glimpse of what was to come, with the trailer already impressed by the level of detail and the beautiful cinematography the crew have put into bringing Pandora to life once again.
However, while the trailer has revealed a lot about the setting of the film, it hasn't really revealed too much about the characters in the story or where the main conflict will come from. While the sequel will also feature the return of many characters from the first film, Cameron's new franchise is about to introduce an array of interesting and unique characters that will be played by a lot of famous faces.
Sam Worthington - Terminator Salvation
Sam Worthington returns to the Avatar franchise as the lead Jake Sully. The former marine found himself involved in the project on Pandora after the death of his twin brother, whom Worthington also briefly portrays. At the end of the first film, Sully is permanently transferred to his Na'vi Avatar.
After having much success starring in Australian films, Worthington's first big role in Hollywood was in Terminator: Salvation. The film was intended to start a new trilogy, but due to poor critical reception and the bankruptcy of The Halcyon Company (via Den Of Geek), the franchise was rebooted again. Like Jake, Worthington plays a similar role in this movie; a reluctant hero whose moral compass forces them to stand up for the greater good.
Zoe Saldaña - Guardians Of The Galaxy
Zoe Saldaña also returns to the franchise as Neytiri, the Na'vi who Jake falls in love with. In the sequel, Jake and Neytiri have a child together, with the love for their family being at the center of the story. Saldaña filmed all of her scenes via motion capture.
Saldaña has many great performances and is no stranger to appearing in a big franchise, having starred in Star Trek and Guardians Of The Galaxy as Gamora (with the latter having brought the most success lately). Similar to Neytiri, Gamora is a lethal fighter and a thick-skinned hero who does not let people get close to her easily. She is also seen to be extremely protective of her family and friends, refusing to let any harm come to them if they are in danger. If fans loved her character in Avatar, they'll definitely be compelled by her here.
Kate Winslet - Titanic
Kate Winslet is set to play Ronal, an important new character in the upcoming sequel. Winslet famously worked with James Cameron before in 1997's Titanic, the film that Avatar had initially overtook to become the highest-grossing film of all time.
With Winslet confirming that she is playing a "water goddess" who participates in a "water birth" (via UPI) and the trailer also hinting that she is a clan leader, it seems that Ronal could end up being just as empowering as her character Rose in Titanic.
Stephen Lang - Don't Breathe
Stephen Lang is set to return to the film series after starring as the main antagonist Colonel Miles Quardtich in the first film. Although it did appear as if the Colonel died in the first movie, it looks like he might be a big part of the movies, with Lang confirming that he did participate in a performance capture water stunt (via IGN).
Since the release of the first film, Lang starred in one of the best thrillers of the 2010s, Don't Breathe. In both Don't Breathe and Avatar, Lang plays ruthless and intimidating characters who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Like Quardtich, Lang's character in Don't Breathe isn't afraid to commit violent and horrific acts either, killing anyone who gets in his way. He definitely makes it easy to root against.
Dileep Rao - Inception
Dileep Rao returns as Dr. Max Patel, a human character who was a big ally to Jake in the first film, coming to support him against the other humans. Avatar was only Rao's second film, with the actor then featuring in Christopher Nolan's Inception the year after.
In Inception, Rao plays a similar role to that of Max, only this time he is a friend of Leonardo DiCaprio's Cobb. In this role, he once again exercised his natural skill to portray a very likable and trustworthy character - something that is expected to continue into Avatar 2.
Edie Falco - The Sopranos
The Sopranos alum Edie Falco is set to join the Avatar series in its upcoming sequel. She is due to play General Ardmore, a powerful military figure in charge of the human exploits on Pandora, and could be a fierce antagonist going forward in the series.
The four-time Emmy winner is best known for playing Carmela Soprano for all six series of The Sopranos. Potentially similar to her character in Avatar 2, Falco was seen to play a strong and determined woman in The Sopranos; however, where Carmela placed family values above all else, it's likely that General Ardmore's concerns will lie elsewhere..
Sigourney Weaver - Alien
Sigourney Weaver is a legend in the sci-fi genre, having starred as Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise (which is widely considered some of the best sci-fi movies of all time). Like Ellen, she also played a huge role in Avatar, playing Dr. Grace Augustine (a kind human scientist who has her own Na'vi Avatar).
With her character's death in the first film, it is unknown how Weaver will return. Originally she was expected to play Augustine again, however, reports have suggested she could potentially be a new character. Weaver's Ripley was resurrected after her death in Alien 3, with the results being very underwhelming, so hopefully Avatar has learned from this previous mistake.
Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All At Once
Michelle Yeoh is another great actor to join the cast of the anticipated sequel as Dr. Karen Mogue. Not much is known yet about Yeoh's role, but she is no stranger to the sci-fi genre, having appeared in Everything Everywhere All At Once, where she played Evelyn Quan Wang.
Yeoh has been celebrating success this year in A24's Oscar-worthy Everything Everywhere All At Once, further showing her natural talent for sci-fi. In the film, Yeoh's character travels to many different universes; while it's unlikely that her character will have any supernatural abilities like Evelyn, fans do hope that she will have an active role in the upcoming movies since she is prepared.
Joel David Moore - Dodgeball
Another returning member from the original film is Joel David Moore, who played the role of Norm Spellman. Spellman is another human character who takes control of his Na'vi Avatar. Just like Sully and Augustine, Spellman is on the side of the Na'vi and fights alongside them.
Spellman's status is unknown at the end of the first film; while his human body survives the fight, his Na'vi Avatar is badly wounded and it is not known whether he made the same decision as Sully to move his consciousness into his Avatar permanently. Moore had his breakout role in 2004's Dodgeball, where he showed ease in playing naturally likable characters, something which continued into Avatar.
Vin Diesel - The Fast And The Furious
One of the more curious casting choices for the sequel is that of Vin Diesel, who plays a currently unnamed character. Much like his Guardians Of The Galaxy co-star Zoe Saldana, he is no stranger to a huge franchise, starring in the MCU and The Fast And The Furious series.
In the past Diesel has played several military characters, like in Saving Private Ryan, but also has a big background in voiceover work, like his performances in Guardians Of The Galaxy and The Iron Giant. There is a huge range of possibilities for what character he could play in Avatar - but regardless of whatever role he takes, fans are sure that Vin Diesel will make them as iconic as Dom Toretto.