There is little doubt that Avatar 2 is one of the most highly anticipated films in the next few years. After all, it has been more than a decade since the premiere of the first film in 2009 and people are eager to find out what happened to Jake Sully now that he is permanently living on Pandora. Interestingly, one of the surprising details about the sequel is that it would feature Sigourney Weaver although her character was clearly killed off in the first movie. However, the first look at Weaver's return has just been revealed.
In the first film, Sigourney Weaver played Dr. Grace Augustine, an exobiologist who served as the head of the Avatar program on Pandora. Although she was initially wary of Jake Sully, Grace eventually warmed up to him after he connected with Neytiri and was accepted by the Na'vi. Grace started out as the peacekeeper in the movie but she soon chose to join the fight in an effort to keep the Na'vi safe from the mining operation. Unfortunately, this led to her death despite all efforts to transfer her consciousness to her avatar.
So why is Sigourney Weaver returning in Avatar 2 although Dr. Grace Augustine has been killed off in the first movie? It was previously speculated that the Alien actress will be playing a completely different character in the sequel. Some believed that Weaver could portray a member of the Na'vi or a different tribe. However, a new image from the film has revealed that Weaver might only play a minor role in the sequel.
The behind-the-scenes photo was shared by producer Jon Landau on his official Instagram account and it features Landau with Sigourney Weaver and her fellow Avatar star Joel David Moore. Interestingly, Landau confirmed that the images were not from the first film. "Had a chance to go through some photographs from production of the Avatar sequels. Thought I would start off by sharing one of me with Sigourney Weaver and Joel David Moore back in the Site 26 Shack set for some scenes for the new movies. More to come," he wrote.
For now, it appears that Sigourney Weaver will still be playing Dr. Grace Augustine in Avatar 2 and that she could only appear in flashback sequences. Nevertheless, fans still believe that Weaver will have a different role in the sequels.
Avatar 2 has halted production due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, it is still scheduled for release on December 17, 2021.
