James Cameron said in a new interview with Empire magazine that he’s “good to go” when it comes to directing “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5.” The third “Avatar” movie, officially titled “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” opens in theaters later this year. Cameron originally cast doubt on his “Avatar” directing future, telling Empire in 2022 that helming the franchise is “all-consuming” and he might want to “pass the baton” to another director starting with “Avatar 4.” But that’s no longer the Oscar winner’s intention.
“I mean, there’s no reason not to,” Cameron said ahead of his 71st birthday in August about directing more “Avatar” sequels himself. “I’m healthy, I’m good to go. I’m not going to rule it out. I mean, I’ve got to make it in a vigorous way, to handle the kind of volume and energy of the work for another six or seven years. You know what I mean? I might not be able to do that… [but] if I can, I’ll just do it.”
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Cameron noted that he already has a history of passing off his planned directorial efforts to other filmmakers, most notably giving “Alita: Battle Angel” to Robert Rodriguez. Cameron was still closely involved with the film’s production, he just wasn’t physically in the director’s chair.
“He honored what I had written. We worked very collaboratively,” Cameron said about Rodriguez.
But Cameron’s plan for now is to direct “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5” himself, even with other non-“Avatar” projects taking shape. The filmmaker is attached to adaptations of the books “Ghost of Hiroshima” and “The Devils,” which could also impact his ability to direct more “Avatar” sequels. Two movies Cameron definitely doesn’t plan on helming are “Avatar 6” and “Avatar 7,” although he told People magazine that he’s cracked ideas for both.
“We’re fully written through movie five, and I’ve got ideas for six and seven, although I’ll probably be handing the baton on at that point,” Cameron said. “Mortality catches up. But I mean, we’re enjoying what we’re doing. We’re loving it. We get to work with great people.”
For fans unhappy that Cameron’s career is totally dominated by the “Avatar” franchise, the director had this response at the time: “People are always asking us, ‘So why did you just keep working in the same…’ Why did [George] Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did [Gene] Roddenberry keep working in the same thing? Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?”
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” was originally going to arrive in 2024, but Disney delayed it to Dec. 19, 2025. “Avatar 4” is on track for Dec. 21, 2029, followed by “Avatar 5” on Dec. 19, 2031. Based on this timeline, the alleged final “Avatar” movie will premiere 22 years after the original 2009 blockbuster.
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