Avatar's upcoming, underwater sequel - check out its star cast!

Who are behind the elaborate Avatar makeup?
Zoe Saldaña
Saldaña plays Neytiri
She cried when she saw the first scenes
The sequel to Avatar 2009
Enormous project, a billion dollars
Dance, gymnastics and a new sign language
Sam Worthington returns
Worthington as as Jake Sully
Parents
CCH Pounder: the wise woman from the tribe
Sigourney Weaver returns in a surprise role
And then... the biggest surprise in the cast
This is Kate Winslet in 'Avatar'
Other surprise roles of the new film
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh is scientist Dr. Karina Mogue
Stephen Lang
Lang returns as a 'dead' colonel
Oona Chaplin
Cliff Curtis
Cliff Curtis as Tonowari
Jermaine Clement
A new generation in the 'Avatar' movies
Young actors joining the cast
Britain Dalton plays Lo'ak
Dalton in action
Jamie Flatters plays the eldest son
Trinity Bliss, the Sullys' daughter
Filip Geljo: a Metkayina
Bailey Bass plays Tsireya
Jack Champion as Spider
The biggest movie franchise ever
Who are behind the elaborate Avatar makeup?

The underwater sequel to 'Avatar,' 'The Way of Water,' is coming out in December. It is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, as its first installment came out almost 13 years ago.

The cast of 'Avatar II' is equally exciting. Let's have a look at the big names in the new film!

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Zoe Saldaña

Actress Zoe Saldaña returns to the film. In between its first installment (2009) and the second, we could see her in 'Star Trek Beyond' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' among other blockbusters.

Saldaña plays Neytiri

In 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' Saldaña returns as the protagonist Neytiri.

Photo: 20th Century Fox

She cried when she saw the first scenes

The actress managed to get a 20-minute sneak preview of the footage alongside director James Cameron. According to Screen Rant, Saldaña and Cameron "both ended up in floods of tears." Their emotional reaction tells us there is more to this film than makeup, technology, and 1 billion-dollar special effects.

The sequel to Avatar 2009

'Avatar' topped the box office in 2009. The blue-skinned aliens impressed the public, along with the tropical other-worldly setting and the environmental messages of the film.

Photo: Twitter @officialavatar

Enormous project, a billion dollars

Shortly after, four sequels to the blockbuster were announced, but it would take a long time to make them. Director James Cameron is one of the most ambitious directors in the industry. He wants everything in the franchise to be just right.

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Dance, gymnastics and a new sign language

Experts in underwater dance and gymnastics have trained the actors to minimize the bubbles. They also had to learn the Na’vi sign language.

Photo: Twitter @officialavatar

Sam Worthington returns

Besides Zoe Saldaña, we welcome back Sam Worthington as the co-star of the film. The Australian actor appeared in 'Clash of the Titans' and 'Wrath of the Titans' after his success in 'Avatar.'

Worthington as as Jake Sully

He plays Jake Sully, the former human soldier who settles down with Na'vi warrior Neytiri and starts a family.

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Parents

The new roles of Sully and Neytiri as parents give a different aspect and more depth to their characters.

Photo: 20th Century Fox

CCH Pounder: the wise woman from the tribe

CCH Pounder returns as Mo'at, the Omaticaya's spiritual leader and Neytiri's mother. Since the first installment of 'Avatar,' she's mostly done guest parts in TV series and smaller movie projects.

Photo: Getty / 20th Century Fox

Sigourney Weaver returns in a surprise role

Sigourney Weaver will also be back. She will play a wholly new character because hers died in the first film. It's still a secret which new part she's going to play.

Photo: Getty / 20th Century Fox

And then... the biggest surprise in the cast

The real surprise for many has been the news that Kate Winslet joined the cast. It's her first collaboration with director James Cameron since 'Titanic' in 1997.

This is Kate Winslet in 'Avatar'

Winslet plays Ronal, a member of the Metkayina clan. As far as reports from the set go, Winslet is doing a great job. She even broke Tom Cruise's film record by staying 7.5 minutes underwater!

Other surprise roles of the new film

Both Vin Diesel and deaf comedian CJ Jones are starring in the new 'Avatar' movie. Their roles have not yet been disclosed.

Michelle Yeoh

Marvel's Michelle Yeoh ('Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings') has also joined the cast.

Michelle Yeoh is scientist Dr. Karina Mogue

Yeoh plays scientist Dr. Karina Mogue. In March 2021, Twitter shared the news that she looks to be in Avatar 3 as well, so we can expect her to play quite an important role.

Photo: Twitter @officialavatar

Stephen Lang

Stephen Lang returns to 'Avatar' after 13 busy years in TV and cinema. Among his performances were the show 'Terra Nova' in 2011 and 'Don't Breathe' I and II in 2016 and 2021, respectively.

Lang returns as a 'dead' colonel

Lang plays Colonel Miles Quaritch, who led the forces of the RDA, the human organization colonizing Pandora in the first film. And that's strange because the colonel died in the first 'Avatar' film. According to James Cameron, Quaritch is coming back "into really unexpected places... it's a science fiction story, after all."

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Oona Chaplin

'Game of Thrones' star Oona Chaplin joins the cast for the first time. She will be playing a character called Varang, and it seems she’ll stick around longer than her character Talisa on 'GoT' did.

Cliff Curtis

The reef where the Sullys and the Metkayina live is run by Tonowari. That role will be played by New Zealand’s Cliff Curtis of 'Fear the Walking Dead.'

Cliff Curtis as Tonowari

Curtis is delighted to be joining the cast and the regular filming it offers, saying: "It’s a great gig to have. It’s very rare in a filmmaking career to schedule movies with that regularity."

Jermaine Clement

Another actor from New Zealand joins the team. Jermaine Clement plays Dr. Ian Garvin. He's possibly a marine biologist - a useful role in an underwater world.

A new generation in the 'Avatar' movies

Much of the film will be focusing on Jake and Neytiri's offspring. The children of 'Avatar' 2, both the Sullys and the Metkayina, are on the verge of adulthood. They are expected to play important roles throughout all the movies.

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Young actors joining the cast

So, who are the young actors whose work in the 'Avatar' movies will give them much exposure and stardom?

Photo: 20th Century Fox

Britain Dalton plays Lo'ak

Britain Dalton, for one, plays Lo’ak, the second oldest child of Jake Sully and Neytiri. The actor is best known for his roles in the Amazon series ‘Goliath’ and ‘Unchartered 4.'

Dalton in action

According to the staff on set, he's doing a great job underwater.

Photo: Twitter @officialavatar

Jamie Flatters plays the eldest son

Jamie Flatters also joins the team. He plays the Sullys' eldest son. The young actor has appeared already in a few series and made his own documentary called ‘Good Trouble: What if the Suit Chokes?’

Photo: Youtube / Almeida Theatre

Trinity Bliss, the Sullys' daughter

After a one-off episode in a series as work experience, this young child actress, Trinity Bliss, will be playing Tuktirey - Jake and Neytiri’s daughter.

Photo: 20th Century Fox (Editing by Showbizz Daily)

Filip Geljo: a Metkayina

Filip Geljo is one of the children of the Metkayina tribe. Previously, he appeared for two years in the TV series ‘Odd Squad' (photo, PBS / Amazon Prime Video).

Bailey Bass plays Tsireya

American actress Baily Bass is another newcomer in the 'Avatar' franchise. She appeared in the TV movie 'Gift of Murder' and in a 2020 episode of 'Law and Order: SVU.'

Jack Champion as Spider

‘The Night Sitter’s Jack Champion plays Spider in the 'Avatar' movies. He's a human teenager born on Pandora and adopted by Jake and Neytiri. James Cameron has proudly said that the 14-year-old knows how to "dive in a full-face breathing mask - and to act in it."

Photo: 20th Century Fox

The biggest movie franchise ever

The 'Avatar' sequels are expected to cost 1 billion dollars altogether. Expectations of the cast, both the young and the experienced actors, will therefore be high. In December we will know what they all look like underwater!