A certain character in Avatar: The Way of Water, along with teases from the actor, has led many to believe that Vin Diesel has a role in the sequel.
Avatar: The Way of Water sees a specific character returning from the 2009 original, leaving many to wonder if there was an Avatar 2 Vin Diesel role. Avatar: The Way of Water features a lot of returning characters as well as a host of new introductions within the world of Pandora. From Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri Zoe Saldaña) to the return of Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), Avatar: The Way of Water has a cast stacked with talent similar to its predecessor.
One character, however, is leading many to question whether Fast & Furious actor Vin Diesel has a part to play in Avatar: The Way of Water. This confusion comes as no surprise, for a few different reasons. From Vin Diesel’s teases of being part of the Avatar films to a certain character in the movie with a specific look, here’s why audiences are convinced Vin Diesel was cast in the Avatar sequel.
Does Vin Diesel Play One Of Quaritch’s Marines In Avatar: The Way Of Water?
Despite popular belief in the Avatar 2 Vin Diesel casting, the actor does not play one of Quaritch’s squad mates in Avatar: The Way of Water. The character in question is Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, who returns from the first movie. Wainfleet is again played by actor Matt Gerald, who bears a striking resemblance to Diesel. In James Cameron’s original Avatar, Wainfleet is part of the RDA’s security force and serves Quaritch in their war against the Na’vi.
While Gerald returns for Avatar: The Way of Water playing the same character, this time he portrays Wainfleet in Avatar form, with the RDA security force returning as Recombinants. These are Avatars implanted with the memories of the human marines they were cloned from. With Quaritch as a Na’vi, along with Wainfleet and the rest of his team, they are able to return to Pandora to finish what they started, with the small appearance of Wainfleet’s human form at the beginning leading to confusion over Diesel’s potential role in the film.
Will Vin Diesel Be In Avatar 3?
The confusion behind the Avatar 2 Vin Diesel rumor is not down to a simple case of Matt Gerald and Diesel looking very similar. Diesel and James Cameron have actually been teasing the former’s role in an Avatar sequel for a while, which led many to believe the actor would appear in Avatar: The Way of Water.
In 2019, Diesel shared a video of himself and James Cameron on social media in which the director states that the two of them are on the set of Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5, leaving it purposefully unclear which movie was being worked on at the time. However, as it has since been revealed that Avatar 4 is only partially shot and Avatar 3 is near completion, some people now believe this was a role teasing Diesel’s involvement in Avatar 3.
Jon Landau Has Debunked The Vin Diesel Avatar Cast Rumors
After all the excitement over the Avatar 2 Vin Diesel casting rumor, it can now come to an anti-climactic end. Jon Landau has debunked that Vin Diesel is cast in any Avatar movie, claiming that the whole thing was a big misunderstanding. It seems the reason Diesel was on the set with Cameron was just a simple set visit which a lot of people read too much into. After years of rumors, to have that casting rumor squashed so easily is a bit of a letdown as it would have been fun to see Diesel show up in Avatar 2 as either a Na’vi or human character.
