Nearly a decade after he released the first Avatar movie, James Cameron has finally begun production on Avatar 2 and the three following sequels. Along with much of the original cast returning, Avatar 2 will introduce a lot of new players to populate this colorful mythology. However, at least one of those fresh faces will be familiar to Titanic fans especially, as it's just been announced that Kate Winslet has been joined the Avatar franchise as a character named Ronal.
James Cameron didn't provide any specific details about this Ronal, namely if Kate Winslet will play a human or Na'vi. It's also unclear how many of the upcoming Avatar movies Winslet is signed on for. Nevertheless, James Cameron is eager to reunite with Winslet following their time working together on Titanic. As Cameron told Deadline:
Kate and I have been looking for something to do together for 20 years, since our collaboration on Titanic, which was one of the most rewarding of my career. I can't wait to see her bring the character of Ronal to life.
The last time James Cameron and Kate Winslet were together on a set, Winslet was portraying Rose DeWitt Bukater, a high society girl who was among the many passengers on Titanic's ill-fated voyage. Her love story with Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack Dawson would go on to take the world by storm in late 1997 and early 1998, and for 12 years it was the highest-grossing movie of all time until Cameron's own Avatar knocked it from the #1 spot (in other words, he bested himself). Winslet and DiCaprio later reunited for 2008's Revolutionary Road, but hearing that she's decided to join forces with Cameron again is surprising given how Winslet's time with him on Titanic wasn't great, to put it lightly. That said, one can't help but wonder now if Cameron might find a way to have DiCaprio cameo somewhere in the Avatar movies, whether he looks normal or blue.
No official plot details for Avatar 2 have been released yet, but the sequel will follow Jake Sully, Neytiri and their family as they navigate the new dangers around Pandora. We'll have to wait and see how Kate Winslet's Ronal fits into the story, though given that most of the characters who have been announced so far are Na'vi, I suspect that will be the same for Winslet, whether she's part of the Omaticaya clan or the Metkayina clan.
Avatar 2 will be released in theaters on December 18, 2020, but you can see Kate Winslet next in The Mountain Between Us, which opens this Friday, October 6. While we wait for more news concerning the Avatar franchise (which will stretch until 2025), be sure to look through our 2017 and 2018 movie schedules to plot your theatrical visits accordingly.
