Summary
- Avatar 2 received positive reviews from critics and made over $2 billion at the worldwide box office, suring expectations.
- Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana return as Jake and Neytiri, while new stars like Kate Winslet and Sigourney Weaver the cast.
- The sequel delivers a star-studded feast for the senses and continues the story of Jake and Neytiri as they battle human invaders.
The cast of Avatar 2 is made up of returning stars and a roster of brand-new names to make the sequel and even bigger cinematic event. Premiering in December 2022, the long-awaited sequel follows Jake (Sam Worthington) and Ney'tiri (Zoe Saldana) as they must leave their peaceful life behind and fight a deadly war with human invaders. Coming well over a decade after the massive success of 2009's Avatar, questions abounded about the potential for Avatar: The Way of Water and whether it could compete with its once-in-a-lifetime predecessor. In many ways, the first Avatar sequel was a litmus test for the planned franchise.
Amazingly, Avatar: The Way of Water was met with mostly positive reviews from critics (via Avatar 2 took so long to materialize. Fortunately for fans of the series, the follow-up did not disappoint and delivered a star-studded feast for the senses.
Sam Worthington As Jake Sully
Sam Worthington leads the cast of Avatar 2 as Jake Sully, a former human marine who defected to live his life as an Avatar on Pandora. Though his role in Avatar is perhaps his most famous part, Worthington has also turned in memorable performances in films like Terminator Salvation as Marcus Wright and Clash of the Titans as Perseus. Worthington appeared as Captain Glover in the war film Hacksaw Ridge, and he made a notable TV appearance as Ron Lafferty in the true crime miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven.
Zoe Saldana As Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite
Further establishing herself as one of the few actors to be in multiple billion-dollar movies, Zoe Saldana returns as Nytiri, a Na'vi who falls in love with Jake and builds a family with him. Besides Avatar, Saldana is a noted actor in various genre films including her lengthy stint in the MCU as Gamora in both the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and beyond. Saldana appeared as Uhura in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek films and she has played more understated roles such as the titular singer in the biopic Nina. In 2023, Saldana appeared as Joe in the series Special Ops: Lioness alongside Nicole Kidman.
Sigourney Weaver As Kiri te Suli Kireysi'ite
After appearing in the first movie as Dr. Augustine, Sigourney Weaver appears in the cast of Avatar 2 as Kiri, Dr. Augustine's Na'vi daughter who is adopted by Neytiri and Jake. A legendary Hollywood talent, Weaver is best known for her turn as Ripley in Alien, and she even scored an Oscar nomination for Aliens. Weaver was nominated again when she played Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist, and she left an indelible mark on 1980s pop culture when she starred as Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters. In 2022, Weaver played Norma in Master Gardner, and appeared as June in the 2023 miniseries The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.
Stephen Lang As Colonel Miles Quaritch
Though he died in the first film, Stephen Lang returns as Colonel Miles Quaritch, a human RDA military officer who swears revenge against Neytiri after her is revived. Known for his villainous roles, Lang is perhaps best ed for his creepy starring role as The Blind Man in the horror film Don't Breathe. Lang had previously appeared as cocky journalist Freddy Lounds in the Hannibal Lecter movie Manhunter, and he also played Ike Clanton in Tombstone. In 2022, Lang stayed true to his typecasting by appearing as a fantasy villain in the Sandra Bullock vehicle The Lost City.
Kate Winslet As Ronal
Adding her massive star power to the cast of Avatar 2, Kate Winslet appears as Ronal, a cliff-diving Na'vi and ally to Jake and Neytiri. Winslet will always be ed for her Oscar-nominated role as Rose in James Cameron's Titanic, and she also scored an Oscar win for playing Hanna in The Reader. Winslet famously appeared as Iris in the rom-com The Holiday, and played Clementine in the mind-bending drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Aside from classic film roles like April in Revolutionary Road and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility, Winslet also won an Emmy for portraying the titular character in Mare of Easttown.
Cliff Curtis As Tonowari
Another new character added for The Way of Water, Cliff Curtis plays Tonowari, Ronal's husband and the chief of the Metkayina clan. Cliff Curtis is well-known for his lengthy stint as Travis Manawa in Fear the Walking Dead and he also appeared in action films like Training Day when he played Smiley. Curtis starred in the Stephen King movie adaptation Doctor Sleep as Billy Freeman, and he played Jonah in the spinoff film Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. In 2023, Curtis appeared as Mac in Meg 2: The Trench, a role he played in the original film.
Avatar 2 ing Cast
CCH Pounder as Mo'at - Veteran actor CCH Pounder plays Neytiri's mother Mo'at who is also a village elder in their Na'vi clan. Pounder is known for her authoritative roles, and she became a household name thanks to her Emmy-nominated role as Detective Wyms in The Shield. Pounder also had a memorable stint as Dr. Hicks on several seasons of ER.
Joel David Moore as Dr. Norm Spellman - Joel David Moore appears in the cast of Avatar 2 as Dr. Norm Spellman, a former government scientist who has switched sides to the Na'vi. Moore is best known for his comedic turns, and besides appearing in Avatar he also starred as Owen in the classic 2000s sports comedy Dodgeball.
Edie Falco as General s Ardmore - General s Ardmore is the RDA leader in charge of their activities on Pandora, and she is played by Edie Falco. Falco's unbelievable range is her greatest asset and she made a name for herself playing mob wife Carmela Soprano in the wildly successful HBO series The Sopranos. Besides winning Emmys for the aforementioned Sopranos, Falco also garnered much praise for her stint as the titular TV nurse character in Nurse Jackie.
Brendan Cowell as Captain Mick Scoresby - Brendan Cowell appears as the dastardly Captain Mick Scoresby, an RDA soldier who commands hunting vessels on Pandora. Cowell played the role of Harrag on Game of Thrones and also starred as Tom Jackson in the series Love My Way.
Jemaine Clement as Dr. Ian Garvin - Noted funnyman Jemaine Clement plays Dr. Ian Garvin who works as a marine biologist for RDA. Clement is best known for being one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords and co-starred in the eponymous cult-classic TV series on HBO. He also played Vladislav in the mockumentary movie What We Do in the Shadow and voiced Tamatoa in the Disney film Moana.
Jamie Flatters as Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan - Jamie Flatters appears in the cast of Avatar 2 as Neteyam, Jake and Neytiri's eldest son who is 16 in the movie. Just starting out as an actor, Flatters is known for playing the role of Tedros in the Netflix series The School for Good and Evil.
Britain Dalton as Lo'ak te Suli Tsyeyk'itan - Lo'ak is Jake and Neytiri's 14-year-old son, and he is played by Britain Dalton. Britain Dalton was previously seen playing a high school kid in Ready Player One, and he appeared as Jason Larson in the series Goliath.
Trinity Jo-Li Bliss as Tuktirey "Tuk" te Suli Neytiri'ite - Playing Jake and Neytiri's youngest child, Tuktirey, in the cast of Avatar 2 is Trinity Jo-Li Bliss. Bliss voices the role of Rita Raspberry in Princess Power and provided additional voices in the cast of Disney's Turning Red.
Jack Champion as Miles "Spider" Socorro - Jack Champion plays Miles Socorro, Quaritch's son who has formed a bond with Jake and Neytiri's kids. Champion played Kevin in the horror film The Night Sitter, and appeared as Ethan Landry in 2023's Scream VI.
Bailey Bass as Tsireya - Bailey Bass plays the small role of Tsireya, a cliff diver and daughter of Ronal. Bass is most notable for playing the role of Claudia in the TV adaptation of Interview with the Vampire.
Filip Geljo as Aonung - Aonung is a skilled diver and hunter, and is also the son of Ronal, and he is played by Filip Geljo. Geljo's biggest project is Avatar 2, but he also played the role of Agent Otto in the Odd Squad franchise.
Duane Evans, Jr. as Rotxo - Yet another member of the Metkayina clan, Rotxo is a skilled diver and hunter who is played by Duane Evans, Jr. Evans, Jr. is perhaps best known for playing Billy in Power Ranger Ninja Steel, but he also appeared as Rhino in the cast of Netflix's Sweet Tooth.
Giovanni Ribisi as Parker Selfridge - Avatar star Giovanni Ribisi appears in a cameo role as Parker Selfridge, a former RDA who leaves a message behind for Quaritch. With a career stretching all the way back to the '80s, Ribisi is best known for Medic Wade in Saving Private Ryan and Seth Davis in Boiler Room. Ribisi also starred as Dan Codgell in the miniseries Waco: The Aftermath.
Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel - Dileep Rao reprises his role as Dr. Max Patel, an RDA scientist who becomes sympathetic to Jake's cause. Rao is no stranger to blockbusters and played the role of Yusuf in Christopher Nolan's epic Inception as well as Rham Jas in Drag Me to Hell.
Matt Gerald as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet - Corporal Lyle Wainfleet was killed in the first film, but is resurrected as part of Quaritch's crew, and he is played in the cast of Avatar 2 by Matt Gerald. Gerald is best ed for playing Melvin Potter in the Netflix adaptation of Daredevil.
