Cliff Curtis Joins ‘Avatar’ Sequel – Will ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Kill Off Travis In Season 3?

Cliff Curtis will be teaming up with the likes of Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington, when James Cameron goes back into production on his Avatar franchise. While this is a great move for Curtis and he should be congratulated on the recognition Fear the Walking Dead has brought to him, many fans of the AMC spin-off series are left wondering what this means for the show. For Cliff, joining Avatar is an ambitious undertaking, one that may tie up much of his time, so does this mean Fear the Walking Dead will bump Travis Manawa in Season 3?

Cliff Curtis to Join an Alien World in the Avatar Franchise

As The Hollywood Reporter shares, Cliff Curtis has committed to appearing in all four of James Cameron’s Avatar sequels, which is certainly a tremendous undertaking. The news indicates that Curtis will be prominently featured in the films and it has also been shared that the Fear the Walking Dead star will play Tonowari, leader of the Metkayina reef people.

Previously, Cameron has revealed that his Avatar sequels will be made consecutively without a break, so that leads to the conclusion that other projects for the Avatar actors may be limited and, in some cases, may have to be put on hold.

Proving that Cameron is serious about getting the sequels made with as few delays as possible, he has hired a writing team that includes Josh Friedman, pen partners Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, and Shane Salerno to write the screenplays for Avatar 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Each film is to be created as a stand-alone story, but, when linked together, the five Avatar movies will come together to form a saga, shared James Cameron in a previous statement.

While Cliff Curtis will appear in each of the upcoming four films, it hasn’t been revealed how much screen time his character will get. He may have worked out a deal that will enable him to continue serving as Travis in Fear the Walking Dead, but a major film deal of this nature might provide Curtis with enough of a challenge and a big enough payday that he would see no reason to continue on with the AMC series.

Cliff Curtis Boasts about his Avatar Role

It seems Cliff Curtis has already left Fear the Walking Dead in the past, as he talked with Maori Television about his Avatar casting news. In truth, Fear the Walking Dead might have written of Travis at any time, considering the minimal story arc of Curtis’ character. He’s spent much of his time chasing after his doomed son and, even after rejoining Madison (Kim Dickens), Cliff hasn’t played a vital role among the ensemble cast.

In fact, Fear the Walking Dead is written in such a way that the series could lose any one of its stars and still move forward. That may be both a blessing and a curse for its stars. It’s certainly something that has worked to Cliff’s advantage in claiming his new Avatar role.

“It’s been on the boil for a while and I haven’t been able to talk about it and it’s been quite an exciting process you know, getting to speak to James Cameron the director of the whole franchise and Jon Landau the producer,” Curtis said about getting the Avatar role. “It was just exciting to get that news out there and made the announcement.”

Speaking about the Avatar franchise as a whole, Curtis says it’s an age-old story. Conquerers have often exploited the resources and indigenous people of a newly discovered land, only to leave the society devastated, once those resources have been exhausted.

Curtis adds that James Cameron is planning to deliver an even more impressive film with the planned second film, suggesting story, style, and effects will all be amped up to create an even more explosive story. For Cliff, that’s just part of what makes his Avatar four film deal so exciting.

“It’s right up there you know, four movies in an overall franchise, that’s a first for me, I’ve never managed to that,” says the Fear the Walking Dead actor. “It is the tihi o te maunga, so it’s the biggest movie franchise ever and that’s also a bonus, so yeah I’m loving it.”

Avatar 2 is scheduled for a December 18, 2020, theatrical premiere.

[Featured Image by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]