Josh Brolin has revealed James Cameron‘s shock reaction to him turning down a role in Avatar sequel The Way of Water.
The Men In Black III star, 56, detailed how he had declined to appear as a new character in the 2022 box office smash – 13 years after director Cameron’s original film became the highest-grossing movie in history.
During a recent chat with Graham Bensinger on the In Depth podcast, Brolin said Oscar-winner Cameron, 70, was ‘angry’ over him refusing to join the cast.
He said: ‘I heard he was angry. I understand it, because when you have something in your mind and you have a status and a power… you’re used to people feeling really grateful that you are offering it to them.
‘I don’t know if that was the case with him because I don’t know him well enough. But it was based on the project, it wasn’t based on him.’
Brolin declined to comment on the exact reason he turned down the sequel.
Josh Brolin has revealed James Cameron’s shock reaction to him turning down a role in Avatar sequel The Way of Water
The Men In Black III star, 56, detailed how he had declined to appear as a new character in the 2022 box office smash – 13 years after director Cameron’s original film became the highest-grossing movie in history
Avatar: The Way of Water – which starred Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet – became the third highest-grossing film of all-time with a whopping $2.320 billion at the box office.
A sequel, Avatar: Fire & Ash is set for release on December 19, 2025.
The original Avatar’s road to box office history was an unusual one, with most top-grossing films accomplishing this with top-loaded massive opening weekends.
Back in 2009, the opening weekend box office record was held by The Dark Knight, which opened to $158.4 million in mid-July 2008, topping out at $533.3 million domestic and just over $1 billion worldwide.
Avatar’s success ($2.92billion) was largely due to consistent viewings at a level rarely seen at the box office, which allowed it to maintain the top spot for eight weeks in a row.
Avatar: The Way of Water saw Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his partner Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) taking their family to live with another tribe of Na’vi who live on the shore and spend most of their time in the ocean, which Cameron used underwater photography to help develop the stunning visuals.
Cameron said of the 2025 sequel: ‘The fire will be represented by the “Ash People.”
Avatar: The Way of Water – which starred Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang and Kate Winslet – became the third highest-grossing film of all-time with a whopping $2.320 billion at the box office
During a recent chat with Graham Bensinger on the In Depth podcast, Brolin said Oscar-winner Cameron, 70, was ‘angry’ over him refusing to join the cast
Cameron is pictured with Avatar: The Way of Water cast Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington
Brolin recently starred in Dune: Part Two – pictured with Timothee Chalamet
‘I want to show the Na’vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides.
‘In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na’vi examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite.
‘We will also explore new worlds, while continuing the story of the main characters,’ he said. ‘I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal.’
