Jemaine Clement, the star of “Flight of the Conchords” and the creator of “What We Do In the Shadows,” is the latest actor to join the cast of James Cameron’s four “Avatar” sequels, the film announced on its social media channels Wednesday.
Clement has been cast as marine biologist Dr. Ian Garvin in the films. He joins a cast that includes Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh, Giovanni Ribisi, David Thewlis, and Cliff Curtis among the newcomers joining Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang.
The “Avatar” sequels were recently pushed back by Disney, with the first of the four planned films will arrive on Dec. 17, 2021. It was previously scheduled to open in December 2020. The third film is delayed two years to December 2023 and the fourth bumped from December 2024 to December 2025. The fifth film is now expected to be released in December 2027.
“I’ve loved Jemaine’s work for years and I’m really pumped that he’s joining our cast as Ian Garvin, one of my favorite characters,” Cameron said in a statement.
Clement’s comedy series, “What We Do in the Shadows,” which is based on Taika Waititi’s 2014 vampire mockumentary of the same name, is airing now on FX and was recently picked up for a second season. He’s also recently starred in “Legion,” “An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn,” “Brad’s Status” and “The BFG.”
Cameron’s 2009 film broke box office records, grossing $2.8 billion worldwide, becoming the highest grossing film worldwide — a record that Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” is on pace to break.