Posted in: 20th Century Studios, Movies | Tagged: avatar, avatar 3, james cameron
James Cameron Reveals That He Has "Ideas" For Avatar 6 And 7
Director James Cameron is already committed to working on the Avatar films until 2031 when the fifth comes out, but he does have ideas for movies six and seven.
Article Summary
- James Cameron has plans for Avatar 6 and 7 but may pass the baton.
- Avatar 5 is set to be released in 2031, deepening Pandora's lore.
- Cameron compares Avatar's universe-building to Star Trek and Star Wars.
- Producer Jon Landau confirms multiple stories mapped out for Avatar sequels.
It took a long time, but the many Avatar sequels finally got off the ground at the end of 2022. When you make the kind of money that Avatar: The Way of Water did, the question of whether or not your sequel is getting greenlit becomes a moot point. When you make that kind of money, it's about how blank the check from the studio will be because they want to see if you can do it again. James Cameron is committed to three more sequels to Avatar, and while we have no way of knowing if the massive box office returns will continue into movies three, four, or five, that hasn't stopped Cameron from thinking beyond that. He is clearly still very in love with this world and revealed to People that while he might be directing and writing through Avatar 5, that doesn't mean the stories on Pandora will stop there, because he has more ideas. However, he just doesn't know if he'll lead that particular charge.
"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 explained. "I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we're enjoying what we're doing. We're loving it. We get to work with great people."
James Cameron Wants Avatar World Building To Rival Star Trek Or Star Wars
Avatar 5 isn't due to hit theaters until 2031, so there is still a significant amount of time between now and wrapping up production on that final film. We wouldn't blame him for needing a break or wanting to pass the torch after so many years. However, Cameron revealed that he likens his ambition to explore the world of Pandora to how people choose to explore the world of Star Trek or Star Wars.
"Star Trek, Star Wars, the world building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations," said Cameron. "And as I was saying out there, we're still a young universe. We're only two movies in, we're halfway through our third right now, To have that kind of cultural impact over time, you got to pour all your heart and energy into it. … People are always asking us, 'So why did you just keep working in the same…' Why did Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did 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?"
Longtime producer Jon Landau added, "And there are more stories to tell. I mean, it's not like we're trying to come up with stories. He's got the stories, and we took the time to lay it out across all four sequels." At the moment, the world of Pandora hasn't quite opened people's collective imagination the same way the world of Star Trek or Star Wars did. While the box office numbers are pretty significant, the rumblings behind fan movements that keep universes afloat are pretty quiet. Star Trek and Star Wars are some of the few franchises that can and have gotten away with having their own singular ongoing conventions that attract large attendances, which is just one aspect of how large and pervasive the fandoms are. Will there be a Star Wars Celebration type of event for the Avatar films someday? There could be, and there is still plenty of time between now and when Cameron will likely walk away from this franchise for that momentum to build. Avatar 3 will be released on December 19, 2025.