A few days ago Marshall Fine was attending the opening-night party for the Dubai International Film Festival (12.6 to 12.14) “and I run into Avatar villain Stephen Lang who, as you may recall, was killed at the end of the first film. What are you up to? I asked. About to start shooting the Avatar sequels, he says. ‘But your character died,’ I said. He just laughed and said, ‘Yeah, well, we’ll see.’

Deadline‘s Mike Fleming revealed Lang’s return in late October. He quoted Avatar maestro James Cameron as follows: “Steven was so memorable in the first film, we’re privileged to have him back. I’m not going to say exactly how we’re bringing him back, but it’s a science-fiction story, after all. His character will evolve into really unexpected places across the arc of our new three-film saga. I really look forward to working with such a gifted actor, who’s also become a good friend.”

The idea of one Avatar sequel sounds…well, tolerable. Two sequels seems laborious at best. Three is appalling.