Michelle Yeoh has been cast in the ‘Avatar’ sequels.
The ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ star will take on the major role of scientist Dr. Karina Mogue in the next instalments of the blockbuster sci-fi movies.
The franchise’s director, James Cameron commented: "Throughout her career, Michelle has always created unique and memorable characters.
"I look forward to working with Michelle to do the same thing on the Avatar sequels."
Yeoh’s casting comes after Vin Diesel teased that he has joined the cast.
The 51-year-old actor seemingly let the news slip after he shared a video on Instagram of himself and the filmmaker on set, in which he strongly suggested the pair were working together.
Speaking in the video, the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star said: "It’s long overdue, there is one person in Hollywood I’ve always wanted to work with and learn from, and so, all things come, I guess, to those that wait."
The ‘Titanic’ director then quipped: "We’re actually gonna give him the flashy thing from ‘Men In Black’ when he leaves here so he has no memory whatsoever of what he’s seen."
The ‘Fast and Furious’ star captioned the video: "And the journey continues… #Blessed #Grateful #Avatar."
Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, Cliff Curtis and David Thewlis are among the new names joining the franchise.
The original 2009 film focuses on the human led Resources Development Administration (RDA) attempting to mine Pandora for unobtanium, a hugely valuable mineral.
The moon is inhabited by indigenous aliens the Na’vi, beings who appear primitive but are highly evolved, and as the planet’s environment is poisonous to human beings, human/Na’vi hybrids called Avatars must link to human minds to allow for free movement on the planet.
Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralysed former marine becomes mobile again through one such Avatar and falls in love with a Na’vi woman (Zoe Saldana), however, he is drawn into a battle for the survival of her world when the RDA threaten to destroy it.
The new films – which will be released in 2020 and then in 2021, 2024 and 2025 – will take Sam’s character Jake on an "emotional rollercoaster".
Cameron previously said: "Having gone through the experience with [Sam] on Avatar, I now knew how to write the Jake character going forward across the emotional rollercoaster of the next four movies. It’s been tough on him. He’s done two pictures back to back now, because we did 2 and 3 together. He had to go to some dark places."
Michelle Yeoh cast in Avatar sequels
