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4 and 5 get a new filming update from Miles Quaritch actor Stephen Lang ahead of the release of Avatar: Fire and Ash later this year. After serving as the central villain in James Cameron’s 2009 original film, Lang’s Quaritch returned to serve the same function in 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. The antagonist is now set to play a role in the story for Avatar: Fire and Ash, which releases in December, and two more films, scheduled for 2029 and 2031, are expected to wrap up the epic saga.

In a recent interview with Collider, Lang reveals that he now believes he has completed filming as Quaritch for all the remaining Avatar sequels. Though he admits that he could be required to come back at some point for supplementary filming of some sort, this is an intriguing update given the final film is still six years away from actually releasing in theaters. Check out Lang’s comment below:

“I give you a tentative yes, absolutely. But you know, with Jim, you never know. I believe I’m finished. I’ve already been finished! By God, I’ve sH๏τ enough! But as I say, with him, there’s a phone line that’s always open that says, ‘We need you here. Get your ᴀss out here,’ and I’ll be there. I think it’s done. I think we’re done.”

What Lang’s Update Means For The Remaining Avatar Movies

The Franchise’s Filming Plans Explained

There are several ways to read Lang’s new Avatar sequels filming update. Though the specifics of the franchise’s filming schedule have been hard to piece together, a post from Norm Spellman actor Joel David Moore last July suggested he was heading back to New Zealand to film scenes for Avatar 4. It’s possible that filming on movies four and five was completed in one long stretch last year. Even though Avatar 5 is still years away, it’s worth remembering that The Way of Water started filming all the way back in 2017, with most of the third film sH๏τ concurrently.

Lang himself already being done with filming doesn’t necessarily mean that all franchise filming has been completed. Instead, Lang’s reveal could speak to Quaritch’s role in what’s to come after the Avatar: The Way of Water ending. The character could end up just playing a smaller part in the remaining films, and this would mean considerably less filming time than actors like Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña. While Lang’s comment could be interpreted as evidence that Quaritch suffers an early death, Cameron has previously confirmed that Quaritch will play a role in all three films that are to come.

Our Take On Lang’s Avatar Filming Update

Making An Avatar Movie Is A Unique Process

Insights into the production process for the Avatar movies are always interesting because this franchise doesn’t work like any other. In addition to a great deal of time for actual live-action pH๏τography, the movies require years-long post-production pipelines in order to bring all the CGI to life. This is further complicated by Cameron’s decision to shoot parts of the different movies together.

While it remains unclear whether filming has fully wrapped on all the remaining Avatar movies, it’s an interesting position for Lang to be in as an actor. When the fifth film does come out and he’s doing press, it will have been more than six years since he actually did any filming for it. More about the Avatar franchise’s production timeline is sure to be revealed over the coming months and years, but, for now, audiences have Fire and Ash to look forward to in about ten months.

Source: Collider