Caffeinated Clint
“Hard Way” villain returns to the screen in “Avatar”
Stephen Lang is great. Scratch that; WAS great. Probably still is, but I haven’t seen the guy in anything for ages – I don’t know whether it was as the bad guy in that Michael J.Fox/James Woods thing “The Hard Way” (1991) or in that forgettable Rebecca DeMornay/Don Johnson clunker “Guilty as Sin” (1993), but one thing’s for sure, he’s definitely been outside the stratosphere of the radio for quite some time – so I really don’t know.
Good to hear he’s back. And in a James Cameron film no less.
Lang – who, according to his bio, has appeared in a few films in recent times including “Gods & Generals” (never saw it – or did I? maybe); “D-Tox” (wish I didn’t see it) and “Fire Down Below” (he probably wishes he’d never heard of it) – is one of two new cast members joining the uber-expensive science fiction film “Avatar”. Drinkin’ Drivin’ Michelle Rodriguez (“Lost”) is the other.
Lang apparently met with Cameron back in the 80s about a role in “Aliens” – wonder which part that was for? Bishop perhaps? – but it never came off. Fortunately for the silver-haired artiste, Cameron didn’t forget the rousing audition Lang did.
Lang, who according to Variety is a regular theatre show man, plays a seasoned Marine Corps colonel who travels to the faraway planet Pandora to take charge of its troops. Rodriguez plays an ex-Marine pilot.
The film, due out in 2009, is a combo of live-action and CGI. Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana also feature in the film. Not a lot is known about the film’s plot though Weaver did say earlier this week that it’s “a younger person’s story and a smaller, older person’s story all happening at the same time”.
If you wanna refresher course on Stephen Lang you couldn’t do any better than revisting his Freddy Lounds in “Manhunter” (1986); his performance as Harry Black in “Last Exit to Brooklyn” (1988) or Ike from “Tombstone” (1993- there ya go, that was probably the last time I remember seeing him in something). Great actor. Sounds like this is a good role for him.
