If you'd just come to terms with the idea of Stephen Lang somehow returning for the** Avatar** sequels as the seemingly dead character of Colonel Quaritch, prepare to have your consciousness transferred to another body - figuratively speaking - with the news that Sigourney Weaver will *also *be back on Pandora, though not as the same character.
Writer/director/Na'vi wrangler James Cameron had this to say about his plans to give his much-loved sci-fi collaborator another crack of the hair whip-type thing:
“Sigourney and I have a long creative history, dating back to 1985 when we made Aliens. We’re good friends who’ve always worked well together, so it just feels right that she’s coming back for the Avatar sequels. Her character of Grace Augustine, as fans know, died in the first movie, so she’s playing a different and in many ways more challenging character in the upcoming films. We’re both looking forward to this new creative challenge, the latest chapter in our long and continuing collaboration.”
We're also looking forward to this creative challenge, and particularly to seeing how the heck the two of them will pull this off. With Quaritch, he could perhaps be brought back to life thanks to some scientific necromancy, but here, it's an entirely different character - which would appear to rule out Grace Augustine somehow being brought back to life by the planet's consciousness of Mother Eywa. Perhaps Ripley Weaver may be resurrected once more in a different indigenous species of the resource-rich planet? And one who will appear in all three planned sequels, no less? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
The Avatar sequel, also featuring old hands Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, will arrive in December 2016, 2017 and 2018, so make sure to plan any Christmas trips around proximity to a well-equipped, technologically cutting-edge cinema.