Stephen Lang Doesn't Want To Know Fans Who Agree With His Avatar Character's Viewpoint
No matter where you stand on "Avatar," the one thing you can't deny is James Cameron's dedication to the craft. While we've been continuing the decade-long joke about a follow-up never seeing the light of day, the "Terminator" filmmaker has taken it upon himself to produce a multi-entry saga of sequels, shooting many of them back-to-back. To this day, "Avatar" holds the coveted crown of the highest-grossing movie of all time (adjusted for inflation). When you make that kind of distinction at the box office, it's safe to say that you've earned some leeway with the development of your projects.
In a genius move from 20th Century Studios, seeing as it's been a while since the world was last acquainted with the world of Pandora, "Avatar" will soon once again grace the big screen nationwide, this time in a 4K remaster transfer. Not only does it stand the chance of possibly reigniting interest in the franchise, but it's only going to add upon that unfathomably high $2.7 billion box office.
But if we're going to be following this series across another decade or so, it's probably best to acquaint ourselves with these characters, especially its villain. Even though he took two significant Na'vi arrows to the chest the last time we saw him, Stephen Lang's Col. Quaritch will be returning for "The Way of Water" in the form of an Avatar. All signs point to Quaritch returning as the series' prime antagonist.
While some fans have supposedly embraced the character, that's a sentiment that Lang understands, but doesn't really want to be a part of.
'I don't want to know you'
At a recent press conference that /Film's Bill Bria attended, Lang was asked what he thought about "Avatar" fans supporting his character. He understands that the appeal of Quaritch is his commanding presence. "What really is helpful for me is to find the qualities that have brought him to this position of leadership that he is at when we meet him, which is to say he is a very capable commander and he inspires loyalty," says Lang. "He leads by example ... there's a lot of positive qualities to the man. He happens to have a little problem fitting in with this planet, maybe, but also [Americans] are a very aggressive and mission-oriented people."
With everything to remember about "Avatar," you don't need to dig that far back to remember that Quaritch is the film's primary antagonist. The barbarous chief of security made it abundantly clear that he has the firepower to mine all of the resources he can from Pandora. To put it bluntly, he's not a good dude.
When we first meet him, we immediately glean that he's been doing this for a while. Like any dangerous leader, his confidence commands respect from soldiers who have been trained for an ensuing colonialist takeover, and earns contempt from our scientist protagonists, who aim for a more peaceful co-existence with the Na'vi. But for the viewers who have told him that they believe in what Quaritch is doing, Lang himself isn't on their level:
"I always feel like 'Really? I don't want to know you' [...] People respond to leaders no matter what their moral stance may be. I think we see a lot of evidence of that in our recent political climate in the United States."
The re-release of "Avatar" is set to hit theaters on September 23, 2022.