Avatar star Stephen Lang says he only has a "folk memory" of Avatar 5, having not read it for "8 or 9 years" – but remembers there's "not one scene I don't look forward to playing"

(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Avatar star Stephen Lang may not have read Avatar 5 for almost 10 years, but he promises he'll be "completely up to speed" by the time filming comes around in late 2026.

While chatting to him about his upcoming action sequel Sisu 2, GamesRadar+ asked whether there were any scenes in future Avatar movies that he's particularly itching to shoot. Lang, who plays antagonist Colonel Miles Quaritch, candidly replied: "I haven't read Avatar 5 in seven or eight or nine years now, I have a folk memory of it. I know [Avatar 4] a bit better. But when you work on these things, you can get confused about what you know about; what happens and when it happens.

"On the day, as we prepare to get deeply back into Avatar 4 and 5, I'll be completely up to speed – and there's not one scene that I don't look forward to playing. I always love going to work in this, in that role. You know, I love putting on that performance capture suit, and getting down to it."

Stephen Land in Avatar

(Image credit: Disney/20th Century Studios)

While Avatar 4 was partly filmed back-to-back with Avatar: The Way of Water and soon-to-be-released Avatar: Fire and Ash, the majority is set to be filmed in 2026. With that, we can assume that they'll make a start on 5 then, too.

Lang's morally questionable military man Quaritch was introduced way back in James Cameron's 2009 original. In the first film, he's a high-ranking officer in the Resources Development Administration squadron based on Pandora – and is determined to wipe out the Na'vi in order to mine their land. In the second, he's pitted once again against Sam Worthington's lead Jake Sully and tasked with finding his human son, Spider, after having his consciousness transferred to a Na'vi body.

"The journey that Quaritch is on has always given rise to the question, "Is he redeemable?" It's wonderful to play [all that]. Jim has thrown a lot of curve balls at this character, you know?" adds Lang. "Being brought back to life, as it were, in the form of his bitter enemy? It's just a mind blowing thing to happen and to play. So, yeah, it's been a great challenge and a lot of fun, and I really look forward to what comes next."

Before we see him in Avatar 4 and 5, Lang will return as Quaritch in Avatar: Fire and Ash, the sci-fi franchise's third installment, on December 19. For more, check out our guide to the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way.