Though many fans were surprised when reports surfaced that Stephen Lang was returning for Avatar: The Way of Water, the actor knew he'd be going back to Pandora since 2010.
"Early on, I knew there were plans to bring [Quaritch] back," Lang told Bleeding Cool recently. "[Director James Cameron] told me that a long time ago [following the original film's release], and he reiterated it in January 2010, saying, 'You're coming back.'" The actor revealed that he was surprised by just how extensive his role in the upcoming sequel turned out to be. "What I didn't know was the extent that I would be coming back to. I didn't know that Quaritch would be as centrally enmeshed in events," he said. "I didn't know he would be either responding to events in such a significant way or that he would be responsible for events happening. He really is a key player in that. To say, 'I was unprepared,' I don't know. I was thrilled, absolutely delighted to be part of it."
Lang will be reprising his role as Colonel Miles Quaritch, the head of security for the Research Development Administration's mining operation on Pandora with a severe disregard for the planet and its people, the native Na'vi. Quaritch came to blows with Sam Worthington's Jake Sully at the end of the first film and was thought to have been killed by Zoe Saldaña's Neytiri . Avatar 2 sees the RDA revive Quaritch by transferring his consciousness into an avatar body, a class of soldier known as a Recombinant (aka Recom).
"He's bigger, he's bluer, he's pissed off," Lang said back in July. "But there may possibly be an aspect of humility. When you take two Na'vi arrows in the chest, that's gonna have some kind of effect on you." According to Lang, Quaritch's sense of duty and loyalty to the human race remains intact despite his upgrades. "[He] was always a character who moved in straight lines and at right angles," he said. "But now he is as lithe as they come. He can move with the same kind of cunning and feral quality that any of the Na'vi can."
In anticipation of Avatar 2's long-awaited debut later this year, Disney recently re-released a remastered version of the first film for a limited theatrical run. Some have questioned whether there is still interest in the franchise, yet Avatar managed to rake in an additional $18 million domestically and $39 million overseas during its return to the big screen. As a result, the film became the first to hit $2.9 billion in lifetime box office returns, padding its current lead over Avengers: Endgame as the highest grossing movie in history.
Avatar: The Way of Water opens in theaters on Dec. 16.
Source: Bleeding Cool