Harry Potter Actor David Thewlis Clears Up Confusion About His Avatar Sequels Involvement

Among the new cast members for James Cameron's Avatar sequels is Harry Potter actor David Thewlis. He's now confirmed more details about his role in the sequels, clarifying that he's not in Avatar 2, but he will definitely be in Avatar 3 and possibly Avatar 4 and 5 if they are made.

Speaking to Collider, Thewlis said there has been some misconception that he's in Avatar 2. "I'm not in Avatar 2. I'm going to be in Avatar 3, which was shot at the same time as Avatar 2, and the plan is that I will be in Avatar 4 and 5, as well," he said. "I just wanted to clear that up because somebody got that wrong recently."

As announced previously, Avatar 2 and 3 are filming back-to-back, but whether or not Avatar 4 and 5 are produced will depend on the success of the first of the sequels.

Also in the interview, Thewlis said he was initially hesitant about working with Cameron--who he heard could be difficult to work with--but that wasn't his experience on set.

"I loved working with Jim Cameron. I was a bit nervous 'cause I'd heard stories that he's quite a hard task master," Thewlis said. "I'd heard stories about the filming of Titanic, and that he could be quite difficult. He wasn't difficult, at all. He was nothing but an absolute pleasure, and I had a great laugh with him. He's something of a genius. He does everything. He's an engineer, an artist, a filmmaker, and a writer. He's just an extraordinary character."

Thewlis also spoke about the unique nature of the Avatar sequels being very CG-focused films that required him to wear a motion-capture suit. "I didn't really know what I was doing because I'd never shot in that way before," he said.

"It's not really like making a film, at all. It doesn’t resemble it, in any way," Thewlis added. "Everything was completely new to me. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. There were lots of younger actors on set, who had to tell me what to do next because I felt like an old man. It was a great challenge, and I look forward to doing more of it."

Avatar 2 is scheduled to come to theatres in December 2021, with Avatar 3 following in 2023. Should those movies succeed at the box office, Avatar 4 will follow in 2025 and Avatar 5 in 2027.

Cameron and producer Jon Landau recently flew to New Zealand to resume production on the sequels--right now, they're staying hunkered down as part of their mandatory 14-day quarantine.