Summary
James Cameron clarifies that Michelle Yeoh will not appear inAvatar: Fire and Ash. TheEverything Everywhere All at Oncestar was previously reported to be making her franchise debut in the upcoming third installment.Avatar: Fire and Ash’s castis confirmed to feature Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver reprising their respective roles as Jake Sully, Neytiri, and Kiri, alongside franchise newcomers Oona Chaplin and David Thewlis.
While speaking withEntertainment Weekly,Cameron explained that Yeoh will not be inAvatar: Fire and Ash, and will instead appear inAvatar 4 and Avatar 5. He explained why this misconception occurred and how it ties into the extensive, years-long process of developing theAvatarsequels. Cameron also shared his enthusiasm for working with the Academy Award-winning Yeoh, and how he looks forward to working with her further. Check out Cameron’s comments below:
Michelle Yeoh won’t be in 3. She’s in 4 and 5. So that got a little bit misreported. She will be coming in soon to do her part, which is an interesting, fun character. I mean, we’re getting ahead of ourselves now. This whole thing has been planned for years and years. The scripts were all written years ago, through the end of movie 5. So we’ve been working on parts of 4 even as we go along, mostly because we’ve got this young cast. We had to shoot them all while they were still young.
We love Michelle. She was always a movie star, but she’s blown up into a huge, huge phenomenon. I look forward to working there.
Who Is Michelle Yeoh Playing In Avatar 4 And 5?
Her Casting Was Announced 5 Years Ago
In 2019,Disney announced that Yeoh was playing a human scientist named Dr. Karina Mogue. No other details have been confirmed about her character in the five years since this announcement, although a picture of her with Cameron on set was shared by the late producer Jon Landau in 2021, with the caption,“Michelle Yeoh kept Jim busy between setups while filming Avatar 3!“This contributed to the assumption that Yeoh’s character would first appear in theAvatarsequelreleasing next year.
Part ofAvatar 4was already filmed alongside the entirety ofThe Way of WaterandFire and Ash, which is why Yeoh would have already been on set to film some of her scenes. As indicated by Cameron’s comments, she will return to film the rest of herAvatar 4scenes, along with all her scenes forAvatar 5. Even though Yeoh’s casting was announced in 2019,it will have been a decade by the time Dr. Mogue makes her debut, asAvatar 4is scheduled for July 19, 2025.
Avatar 5
June 13, 2025
As for Dr. Mogue’s role, she may be a scientist working for the villainous Resources Development Administration (RDA).Avatar: The Way of Water’s endingteased thatColonel Quaritch may no longer be the central antagonist moving forward, and Dr. Mogue could potentially fill that role insteadinAvatar 4andAvatar 5. Regardless of Dr. Mogue’s role in the franchise’s overarching narrative, Yeoh’s debut makes the sequels toAvatar: Fire and Asheven more exciting.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Cast
Avatar: Fire and Ash is a 2025 science fiction film continuing the saga of Pandora. Jake Sully and Neytiri confront a formidable new enemy, the Ash People, led by Varang. Struggling with personal loss and external threats, they strive to protect their family and Pandora’s future.
