Michelle Rodriguez Confirms She Wasn’t Invited Back For ‘Avatar 2’
Actress Michelle Rodriguez confirmed to the New York Post that director James Cameron did not ask her to appear in the sequel to his hit sci-fi film, Avatar, which is slated for a December, 2017, release. The post-apocalyptic alien adventure is the highest-grossing film of all time, with more than $2 billion in global box office, and three Oscars.
Cameron plans to release three sequels from 2017 to 2019, and according to IMDB, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana are reprising their roles. Sigourney Weaver is confirmed to be returning but not as human Dr. Grace Augustine — as she died in the film, so speculation is that she may return as an Avatar or play an entirely new character, according to VineReport. Despite rumors that she would also appear in the sequel, Michelle says she won’t be reprising her role as SecOps pilot Trudy Chacon in Avatar 2: Manifest Destiny.
“They’re bringing back a lot of other characters. I know [Sigourney Weaver’s] coming back and the guy who played the bad guy, [Stephen Lang], is coming back,” said Rodriguez. “But yeah, I’m not gonna be in it.”
Rodriguez made the confession at the Gabriela Cadena fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week, where she also admitted to being new to the intoxicating world of high-end fashion.
“I’ve always been a very practical kind of individual, and I never really cared to dress myself in any way that gains too much attention,” she said. “But then I realized, ‘Oh my God! Wait a minute. This is kind of cool.'”
E! News caught up with the fiery and openly bisexual actress backstage at the Harper’s Bazaar Icon Party in New York City, where she revealed her excitement about filming the next installment in the Fast and Furious franchise, and how the late Paul Walker will influence Furious 8.
“We need a good reason to move on after Paul,” Michelle explained. “And being that this is a global franchise now, it’s not just the American baby, it’s important that we consider moving on and take it seriously.”
She continues, “But for us as a cast, I think we need a reason and it needs to have heart, so hopefully we’ll find it, you know? And somebody who’s passionate about directing it—I think that’s the most important thing is finding a good director.”
Furious 8 is set to being shot next summer, and the New York native says they are hoping to film in the Big Apple.
“We were looking at New York, and I think the studio was open to that so keep fingers crossed! It’ll be my first movie at home since ‘Girl Fight!'”
When she’s not making headlines for her drunken escapades, legal woes, and exploits with her celebrity lovers, Michelle Rodriguez spends her spare time working as a passionate environmental activist and advocate for socially endangered people and the fight against human trafficking.
[Image via Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Unitas]
[Image via Daniel C Sims/Getty Images for Gabriela Cadena]
[Image courtesy 20th Century Fox via Zimbio)
