'Avatar 3' Casts Two Familiar Faces to Return to Pandora

The Big Picture

• Avatar 3 is in production with mystery surrounding returning characters revealed on Instagram by producer Jon Landau.
• Wes Studi and Laz ALonso, who played deceased characters Eytukan and Tsu'tey, to make a return in upcoming installment for motion capture work.
• Avatar: The Way of Water is currently available for streaming on Disney+ for viewers to enjoy.

Production on Avatar 3 is currently underway, and with that comes a lot of mystery surrounding the upcoming installment of the multi-billion dollar franchise. However, despite the movie being under wraps, it looks like a couple of deceased characters may make an appearance in the upcoming installment, as producer Jon Landau has revealed via Instagram that Wes Studi and Laz Alonso, who previously played Eytukan and Tsu'tey, are returning to the franchise to do some motion capture work.

“It’s great to have Laz and Wes back for a little performance capture,” Landau said in the post. It remains unknown whether the two actors are set to reprise their roles as the characters they previously played or if they are now playing new characters. However, it’s worth noting that the franchise is no stranger to bringing deceased characters back to life, as shown by Miles Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang, who was resurrected via memory download as an Avatar clone in the last installment. But with the franchise set to be an overarching family saga, it’s also possible that they will only be making minor appearances via flashbacks.

Of course, it is also in the realm of possibility that Studi and Alonso could be playing new characters, a precedent that has already been set by Sigourney Weaver as Kiri in Avatar: The Way of Water. But their roles will likely remain a mystery for the foreseeable future until the upcoming sequels near the release date. Meanwhile, fans still have a lot to look forward to aftaer Avatar 3 as production on the fourth installment of the franchise is underway as well, with a slated 2029 release.

What Do We Know From 'Avatar 3' So Far?

Plot details on the third Avatar installment remain under wraps for now. However, according to previous reports, the film will continue where The Way of Water left off, with Jake and his family fighting against the invading forces of humanity and the RDA. While humanity has always been the overarching threat of the franchise, Avatar 3 will add an extra layer to the Na’vi with a more antagonistic tribe that lives on the planet’s volcanic region called the Ash People. Serving as an interesting contrast to the other tribes we’ve been introduced to so far, it looks like the franchise will be adding a much-needed complexity to its story. And there is still plenty in store for the growing science fiction franchise, as director James Cameron previously revealed that he already has ideas for Avatar 6 and Avatar 7. However, it’s likely audiences won’t be seeing those films for a while, and until then, they can still return to the world of Pandora when Avatar 3 hits the big screen next year.

Avatar 3 debuts exclusively in theaters on December 19, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for further updates. Avatar: The Way of Water is streaming now on Disney+. Check out Landau's post below:

Avatar: The Way of Water

Jake Sully lives with his newfound family formed on the extrasolar moon Pandora. Once a familiar threat returns to finish what was previously started, Jake must work with Neytiri and the army of the Na'vi race to protect their home.

Watch on Disney+

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