Jemaine Clement Boards The 'Avatar' Sequels As A Marine Biologist

Jemaine Clement is the latest in a long string of actors who have been announced to join the Avatar sequels. But the New Zealand-born actor is seemingly the first all-out comedian to join the sprawling cast, suggesting the multiple sequels to James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi mega-hit could be gaining a sense of humor. But that's down to what kind of character Clement is playing.

The official Avatar Twitter continues to roll out the casting announcements, even as filming for the sequels has long been underway. According to the announcement, Clement will be playing a marine biologist on Pandora named Dr. Garvin.

Clement will be playing yet another scientist! Groundbreaking! Perhaps Sigourney Weaver's Dr. Grace Augustine (who died in the first film, but is somehow back) is stocking up her staff after the events of the first Avatar nearly decimated the humans residing on Pandora. But whatever the case, at least Clement can inject some of his trademark weird comedy into the role, which he perfected in HBO's hit comedy series Flight of the Conchords and in the hysterical mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows. But the actor has been stretching out into more dramatic roles recently, though they're still decidedly eccentric, like his unnerving role as Oliver Bird in FX's mind-bending Legion.

We know very little about the plot to the four upcoming Avatar sequels, which are being filmed back-to-back and will reportedly be a generational story akin to The Godfather, focusing on the Na'vi family of Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and the formerly-human Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), particularly their children. It takes place at least partially under the seas of Pandora, using underwater performance capture technology. Cameron has previously teased that Avatar 2 goes to some "dark places," calling it an "emotional rollercoaster."

Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, CCH PounderStephen LangKate WinsletEdie Falco, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, Matt Gerald, David Thewlis, Michelle Yeoh, and Oona Chaplin star in the long-awaited sequels, which were delayed yet another year in Disney's slate of release dates following the company's purchase of 20th Century Fox.

Avatar 2 arrives on December 17, 2021, with Avatar 3 following it on December 22, 2023Avatar 4 on December 29, 2025, and finally Avatar 5 on December 17, 2027.