Throughout a career that began almost half a century ago, Sigourney Weaver has pretty much seen and done it all. However, it wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that everyone was taken by surprise when it was revealed she’d be playing a teenager in James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water.

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Having been killed off in the first movie, a lot of fans were left wondering how Weaver’s Dr. Grace Augustine wound end up being resurrected to live among the Na’vi on Pandora. As it turns out, she won’t be; instead, the Alien icon will be seen as Kiri, the adopted teenage daughter of Sam Worthing’s Jake Sully and Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri.

Needless to say, the prospect of the 72 year-old Weaver donning the motion capture dots to play a character roughly 60 years younger than her actual age has taken the internet by surprise, and that’s without even mentioning the many questions we have about the vocal aspect of her performance.

Sigourney Weaver playing a teenager via motion-capture in AVATAR THE WAY OF WATER is just…. you go, James Cameron!!!

"Sigourney just became younger. She looked younger, she had more energy… She had a glow on her face and lightness in her step."

— Zack Sharf (@ZSharf) July 1, 2022

the good ending of mocap is people using it for insane performances, like casting sigourney weaver as a blue cat person alien teenager, not using it to uncanny valley resurrect dead actors and market off their image

— call that a (James pending) (STREAM DANCE FEVER) (@agentjx7) July 1, 2022

Sigourney Weaver in a mocap suit acting like a teenager

— Carl (@WeFilmAtDawn) July 1, 2022

i have to admit i have been slagging off the avatar sequels for years, but sigourney weaver playing a teenager? yeah i'm going to watch it.

goddammit james cameron

— ⚓️Imani Two-Kitchens Gandy⚓️ (@AngryBlackLady) July 1, 2022

I'm assuming there is some sort of reincarnation element that would make this a bit more logical, as it is a bit unusual to mo-cap a 72-year-old to play a teenager. Even if any Sigourney Weaver is always welcome.

— Mathew Buck (@FB_BMB) July 1, 2022

james cameron casting sigourney weaver as a teenager

— wes (@mannmiami) July 1, 2022

Why not have a teenager in this role? Wouldn't it be a lot harder for Sigourney Weaver to pull this off? Why do this?

— vson (@vson2) July 2, 2022

sigourney weaver playing a teenager we have truly reached the nadir of refusing to cast new actors

— thumb drive 👍 (@vampirepoem) July 1, 2022

Having racked up three Academy Award nominations, four Primetime Emmy nods, and been shortlisted for a Tony, on top of winning a pair of Golden Globes and a solitary BAFTA, we’re not doubting Weaver’s talent or credentials. However, it’s going to be jarring to say the least if the star’s recognizable voice is digitally altered and modulated to suit Kiri.

Then again, we’d be foolish to doubt Cameron’s methods (or his madness, for that matter), so it might not even be noticeable at all once we lose ourselves all over again in the world of Avatar when The Way of Water comes to theaters in December.