Who Is the Cast in Avatar 2: The Way of Water?

Chris McMullen

Published: Dec 17, 2022 01:00 pm

It’s taken 13 long years for James Cameron’s Avatar sequel, Avatar 2: The Way of Water, to get made. Like the original, it follows the story of the Na’vi who, amongst other things, find themselves defending their homeworld, Pandora, from human invaders. You’d think that, after being booted off the planet at the end of the first film, humanity would steer clear — but the promise of wonder mineral Unobtanium (what a name) is apparently too much to resist. However, with over a decade having passed since the original, how many cast members are returning for this follow-up? Who is the cast in Avatar 2: The Way of Water? (And who is Spider in Avatar 2?)

A List of the Cast of Avatar 2: The Way of Water

As it happens, there are plenty of returning cast members, including a few unexpected ones. Just don’t expect to see a lot of recognizable faces on screen since most of the cast is playing the Pandoran Na’vi natives, and their characters will be entirely computer-generated and motion-captured.

First of all, Sam Worthington returns as Jake Sully, a former human who sided with the Na’vi and, after transferring his consciousness into a vat-grown Na’vi body, now lives as a Na’vi. And while Gamora is still AWOL in Guardians of the Galaxy, Zoe Saldaña returns as Neytiri, Jake’s Na’vi mate.

Sigourney Weaver also returns, playing Kiri, one of Jake and Neytiri’s children. She previously played Dr. Grace Augustine in the original Avatar, who… well, we won’t spoil it for you, but there’s quite possibly some reincarnation-style shenanigans going on. The good news is that she’s their adopted daughter, so Jake didn’t get to watch his wife give birth to his former boss.

Stephen Lang, who played antagonist Colonel Miles Quaritch in the original, is back, despite dying in a suitably gruesome fashion. Joel David Moore once again plays Dr. Norm Spellman, a human ally to the Na’vi, and Dileep Rao is back as Dr. Max Patel, another ally.

Giovanni Ribisi is also back as the former leader of the human mining operation, Parker Selfridge, who’s presumably coming back for another chance to fill his pockets with Unobtanium (what a name). CCH Pounder is also back as Mo’at, Neytiri’s mother, but we’ll always think of her as Amanda Waller from Justice League Unlimited.

So what about the new Na’vi characters? Well, Kate Winslet is Ronal, leader of the new ocean-based Na’vi tribe that Jake, Neytiri, and family meet. Cliff Curtis, whom you may recognize from Fear the Walking Dead, is Tonowari, Ronal’s husband. Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, and Trinity Jo-Li Bliss play Neteyam, Lo’ak, and Tuktirey, Jake and Netryri’s other children.

There are a handful of new human characters, too. Jemaine Clement is Dr. Ian Garvin, a human marine biologist — though he’ll always be What We Do in the Shadows’ Vladislav to us. Spider, a human who’s been adopted by Jake’s family, is played by Jack Champion. You remember Jack Champion, right? He was “Kid on Bike” in Avengers: Endgame.

Edie Falco, famous for playing Carmela in The Sopranos, is General Frances Ardmore, who’s spearheading the efforts to retake the planet. Finally, Brendan Cowell plays Captain Mick Scoresby, who runs the Pandora-based equivalent of a whaling vessel.

Full credits for Avatar 2: The Way of Water can be found online. The movie was largely shot back to back with Avatar 3, so another sequel from James Cameron is nearly done. That presumably means a great many of these actors who are in the cast of Avatar 2: The Way of Water will be returning for the third film. And yes, that could include the dead ones — this is sci-fi, after all.