Kate Winslet, star of "Titanic," is reuniting with that movie's director, James Cameron. She is to star in the upcoming "Avatar" Sequels. There are to be four "Avatar" movies to come (according to Cameron), with the first one being "Avatar 2: The Papyrus Diaries." That one isn't scheduled to hit cinemas until 2020.
The news will be welcomed by fans, who will be happy on two fronts. Firstly, the long-awaited continuation of the "Avatar" story will arrive. And in addition to that, Winslet, who is famously picky about her roles, will be back in a Cameron movie.
What kind of Avatar character will she be?
Well, Cameron is famously wary of the press. He won't tell the media anything other than basic details about the plot for any of his movies that are awaiting release, and that's the situation here. What fans can expect is Winslet playing a character called Ronal. No one knows what role Ronal will play, or whether Winslet will even have star billing. There are many name actors who would love to work with Cameron, so the hierarchy of stars in the sequels will be interesting. Knowing Winslet's choice of roles prior to this news, it is most likely she will play a sympathetic character, one who the audience is rooting for.
A long-awaited project
Aside from the fact that "Avatar" has waited for a sequel for a number of years now, Cameron has expressed his excitement about working with Winslet once more.
Speaking to Deadline, he said: “Kate and I have been looking for something to do together for 20 years, since our collaboration on Titanic, which was one of the most rewarding of my career, I can’t wait to see her bring the character of Ronal to life.”
However, the director is also known as a nightmare to work with. During the filming of "The Abyss," he told some of his actors that they could relieve themselves in their wetsuits, in an effort to save time.
One of the more fantastic rumours around the filmmaker is his method of keeping cellphone usage to a minimum on set. Using a nailgun, he fixes annoying phones to the wall.
"Avatar 2" is scheduled for release during Christmas 2020. It was originally slated for the cinemas in 2014, with the other sequels to follow shortly afterward.
Cameron is apparently fine with delays. According to an interview with Variety, he said: "The important thing for me is not when the first one comes out but the cadence of the release pattern. I want them to be released as close together as possible. If it's an annual appointment to show up at Christmas, I want to make sure that we're able to fulfil on that promise."
