Vin Dieselwill not be making an appearance on Pandora.
Avatarfranchise producerJon Landauput the related casting rumors to rest in a statement toEmpire, shutting down the buzz that emerged after Diesel, 55, shared a video alongside directorJames Cameronback in 2019.
“Vin was a fan,” Landau, 62, toldEmpirein his interview published Tuesday. “He came in, visited the set one day to see what we were doingand people took that out of context.”
Posted in April 2019, the Instagram video showed Diesel and Cameron, 68,on the set of theAvatarsequel films— which the filmmaker joked was “top secret, like the Manhattan Project.”
“There is one person in Hollywood I’ve always wanted to work with and learn from … and so, all things come, I guess, to those that wait,” Diesel said, seemingly referring to Cameron.
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Regardless of his non-involvement in theAvatarfilms, Diesel remains booked and busy, with two film projects slated for release this year alone.
The actor both stars in and co-producesFast X, the upcoming 10th installment in theFast & Furiousfranchise, which hits theaters on May 19. Two weeks earlier, he reprises the voice of Groot inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
According to an official synopsis,Vol. 3finds Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) “still reeling from the loss of Gamora” (which happened in 2018’sAvengers: Infinity War), but he “must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.”
The franchise’s third installment, which writer/directorJames Gunnannouncedwould be the last, wrappedfilming in May 2022.
RELATED VIDEO: Kate Winslet Reveals Her Kids Encouraged Her to MakeAvatarSequel: “You Have to Do It!”
Meanwhile, during its first two weeks in theaters,Avatar: The Way of Watermade more than $1 billion at the global box office.
According toBox Office Mojo, the more-than-three-hour sci-fi film, which is offered in 3D and premium formats, has thus far earned $572.4 million domestically and $1.3 billion internationally, for a total of $1.9 billion so far.
Avatar 3will take the franchise in new — and dark! — directions, Cameron recently told France’s20 Minutes, viaTotal Film.
Cameron continued in part, “In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. InAvatar 3, we will do the opposite.”
source: people.com