Avatar 3 Will Star Game Of Thrones' Oona Chaplin As Varang, Leader Of The Ash People

Hot on the heels of "Avatar: The Way of Water," Empire Magazine already has a scoop about a key piece of casting news for the franchise's next sequel. "Game of Thrones" star Oona Chaplin was announced as a castmate for the sequels a full five years ago now, but details about her character are finally being made public. According to the March 2023 issue of Empire, the actress best known for playing Rob Stark's doomed wife Talisa will here play Varang, the leader of the Ash people.

If the Ash people don't sound particularly familiar, it's because they haven't been introduced yet. In December, director James Cameron did reveal to the French outlet 20 Minutes that the Ash people will be a fire tribe ("Avatar: The Last Airbender" called and it wants its, well, everything back) that isn't exactly as honorable and heroic as the Na'vi tribes we've seen so far. He told the outlet:

"I want to reveal the Na'vi from another angle because [so far] I have only shown their good sides. In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na'vi examples. In 'Avatar 3,' we'll do the reverse."

That reversal will apparently come courtesy of the Ash people, led by Chaplin's Varang. Empire calls her clan "an aggressive, volcanic race of people," and points out that the third film is set to show a dark side to the Na'vi and give the sky people, aka humans, some positive traits, too. As /Film's Hannah Shaw-Williams points out in the previous coverage linked above, this villainous race plot may not bode well for a franchise made by a white man that pulls huge swaths of its mythology from real Indigenous cultures.

Cameron, though, seems to have carte blanche over these sequels thanks to the record-shattering success of the first "Avatar" and the subsequent 1.9 billion dollar and counting haul that "Avatar: The Way of Water" has brought in. Chaplin is an inspired casting choice as she's been underutilized in other roles, and it'll be exciting to see her play a potentially villainous leader. Aside from "Game of Thrones," she's appeared in "Black Mirror," "Taboo," "Sherlock," and more.

Producer Jon Landau commented on the characterization of the Ash people, hinting to Empire that the story is likely more complicated than an oversimplified good versus evil plot. "There are good humans, and there are bad humans — the same thing on the Navi side — but oftentimes, people don't see themselves as bad," Landau said. "What is the root cause of how they evolve into what we perceive as bad? Maybe there are other factors that we're not aware of."

Assuming Landau has been directly involved in the production of the movie that still seems to be called "Avatar: The Seed Bearer," I'd guess that "maybe" is probably a "definitely," and we'll find out exactly what led the Ash people to their fiery current state in the upcoming film. "Everything Everywhere All At Once" star and award season darling Michelle Yeoh is also reportedly set to appear in the third film in the franchise, as is "The Sandman" and "Harry Potter" actor David Thewlis.

"Avatar: The Way of Water" is still in theaters, and "Avatar: The Seed Bearer" is already set for release on December 20, 2024.