The 'Titanic' helmer reveals that he may not return to direct 'Avatar 4' and '5' himself because he has other projects he's developing that are equally 'exciting.'
- Jul 5, 2022
AceShowbiz - James Cameron may step aside a bit from the "Avatar" franchise to dedicate his time to other projects. Having spent three years to film the two sequels of his hit 2009 movie back-to-back, the filmmaker is mulling over passing the baton to another director for "Avatar 4" and "Avatar 5".
In a new interview with Empire, Cameron admits that as much as he loves the "Avatar" franchise, working on the films are "all-consuming." The Oscar-winning director also reveals that he has other "exciting" projects that he is developing.
"The 'Avatar' films themselves are kind of all-consuming," Cameron shares. "I've got some other things I'm developing as well that are exciting. I think eventually over time - I don't know if that's after three or after four - I'll want to pass the baton to a director that I trust to take over, so I can go do some other stuff that I'm also interested in." Noting that nothing has been set in stone for the fourth and fifth films just yet, he adds, "Or maybe not. I don't know."
Nevertheless, Cameron remains passionate about "Avatar". "Everything I need to say about family, about sustainability, about climate, about the natural world, the themes that are important to me in real life and in my cinematic life, I can say on this canvas," he gushes about the sequels.
The 67-year-old also expresses his hope that the "Avatar" lore will continue beyond the two sequels, though he realizes that "Avatar 4" and "5" will depend on audiences' reception to the upcoming movies. "I got more excited as I went along. Movie four is a corker. It's a motherf**ker. I actually hope I get to make it. But it depends on market forces," he says. "Three is in the can so it's coming out regardless. I really hope that we get to make four and five because it's one big story, ultimately."
The long-awaited second installment, "Avatar: The Way of Water", is slated to hit theaters on December 16 of this year, followed by the third film on December 20, 2024. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang are among the returning cast members, while Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh and Vin Diesel have been added in new roles.
