Summary
Avatar 3gets a new filming update that teases the return of two original characters. After his first movie in 2009, director James Cameron returned to the world of Pandora withAvatar: The Way of Waterin 2022, continuing the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his new family. The filmmaker is now hard at work on theupcomingAvatar 3, which is set to introduce new characters into the mix while bringing back a number of familiar faces.
Now, actorJoel David Moore, who played Norm Spellman in both previous films, confirms his return to New Zealand for moreAvatar 3filming in a recent social media post. Check out his post below:
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Included in the first image in the carousel is actor Giovanni Ribisi, who is set to reprise his role as Parker Selfridge in the third movie. Another image also features Dileep Rao, who plays Dr. Max Patel. In a fun throwback, the final image in the carousel features Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Moore, and Michelle Rodriguez during production on the original film. Moore’s full caption is included below:
Heading back to Wellington NZ is always so nostalgic. Been coming here for 17 years making this franchise, seeing familiar faces, friends, putting the hard work in, it’s like a home away from home at this point. The family has grown, but the work flow and mission is always the same. Thankful for my#Avatarfam and can’t wait for you to see what’s next! (Last pic is a flashback of me Sig Sam M Rod and our amazing kiwi crew from 17 yrs ago) 🙏
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Moore’s social media post coincides with anAvatar 3update from Worthington, who shared last week that he was about to return to New Zealand for more filming.
How Parker Selfridge Could Factor Into Avatar 3
The RDA Mission On Pandora Continues
Selfridge serves as a secondary antagonist in the originalAvatar, representing the greedy interests of the RDA as it mines unobtanium on Pandora. He remains alive at the end of the film and, in a new scene added for the sequel, is shown boarding a spaceship to leave the planet before hinting that the Na’vi struggle against the RDA isn’t over. Selfridge also returns as part of theAvatar: The Way of Watercastfor a brief cameo at the beginning, but he is absent for most of the film.
Producer Jon Landau confirmedin March 2023 thatSelfridge “will be back in force as we move forward,“setting the character up for a much bigger role as part of the cast ofAvatar 3. While Selfridge seemingly returned to Earth for some time after the events of the original film, it seems as if he will rejoin the RDA efforts on Pandora. His goal in the original film was the mining of unobtanium, but the sequel introduces Amrita, a Tulkun-secreted substance that stops human aging. Collecting more of this substance could be his new goal in the sequel.

Avatar: The Way Of Water Ending Explained
Avatar: The Way of Water’s ending sets up a few storylines for its remaining sequels to tackle. Here’s how the Avatar 2 ending explained what’s next.
That being said,it’s also possible that Selfridge has been demoted after his failures in the original movie, and he will be overseeing an operation of less value than the harvesting of Amrita. Either way, Selfridge could be used to further flesh out the RDA’s goals on Pandora, and a reunion with both Jake and Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is surely on the cards. Unfortunately, with theAvatar 3release date still about a year and a half away, it will likely be some time before more concrete details are revealed.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Cast
Avatar: Fire and Ash is a 2025 science fiction film continuing the saga of Pandora. Jake Sully and Neytiri confront a formidable new enemy, the Ash People, led by Varang. Struggling with personal loss and external threats, they strive to protect their family and Pandora’s future.