Michelle Yeoh is stepping away from ‘Star Trek’ to enter another major sci-fi franchise. She has been cast to star as Dr. Karina Mogue in James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ sequels.
According to Cameron:
“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.”
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The announcement came via the ‘Avatar’ social media accounts, including Twitter:
📣 Casting announcement!
Michelle Yeoh has been cast in the Avatar sequels as scientist Dr. Karina Mogue.
Join us in welcoming her to the #AvatarFamily! 💙 pic.twitter.com/etd61R2tBw
— Avatar (@officialavatar) April 15, 2019
On ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, Yeoh played Captain Philippa Georgiou, and then returned as her Mirror Universe counterpart. There are currently plans underway to craft another CBS All Access ‘Star Trek’ series around her. The spinoff will begin heavy development after ‘Discovery’s third season, and is said to involve Section 31.
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It appears that Vin Diesel was recently cast for the ‘Avatar’ sequels, as well. Other ‘Avatar’ newbies include Oona Chaplin, Brendan Cowell, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, David Thewlis, and Kate Winslet. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, and Sigourney Weaver, who starred in the original movie, are returning for the sequels.
Reportedly, the motion-capture portions of ‘Avatar 2’ and ‘3’ have been completed, with the live-action portions set to film in New Zealand momentarily. Cameron plans to make two more sequels, but the studios are taking a wait and see approach to see how well the first two perform. The first movie is the highest-grossing movie of all time.
Yeoh, a staple in Chinese films, first gained notice among western audiences in 2000’s ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’. She went on to star in ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’, and made a cameo in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2’. Prior to ‘Star Trek: Discovery’, she starred on Netflix’s ‘Marco Polo’ and Cinemax’s ‘Strike Back’. Last year, she appeared in the breakout hit ‘Crazy Rich Asians’.
‘Avatar 2’ is scheduled to be released on December 17, 2021, with the third arriving on December 20, 2024.
Source: Deadline
