Production on James Cameron’s four (yes, four) Avatar sequels started last week, and today he announced his biggest piece of casting yet. Kate Winslet, who became a household name thanks to her role in Cameron’s Titanic, has joined the series.
Image: Fox
“Kate and I have been looking for something to do together for 20 years, since our collaboration on Titanic, which was one of the most rewarding of my career,” Cameron told Deadline. “I can’t wait to see her bring the character of Ronal to life.”
Who the hell is Ronal? We have no idea, and the Deadline piece doesn’t say. But for an Oscar winner like Winslet to take on a major genre movie like this, it’s probably a significant role.
Winslet joins returning cast members from the original films (including, but not limited to, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang) as well as series newcomers such as Cliff Curtis and a slew of young actors who will play young kids with a growing importance in the series.
“The storyline in the sequels really follows Jake and Neytiri and their children,” Cameron said last year. “It’s more of a family saga about the struggle with the humans.”
Though Cameron is already filming, the first Avatar sequel won’t be out until December 2020. It will be followed in 2021, 2024 and 2025 by the remaining films.
[Deadline]