Filmmaker James Cameron has had a long and wildly successful career, one that is synonymous with groundbreaking cinematography. Avatar ranks high in the ranking of Cameron’s movies, and it’s first sequel The Way of Water finally arrived in December of 2022 (and is streaming now with a Disney+ subscription). But there are a number of upcoming sci-fi movies that’ll follow the franchise, including the threequel Avatar: Fire & Ash. And Cameron recently clarified if he’s planning on directing more sequels after rumors about new filmmakers coming in circulated online.
Information about what Cameron has up his sleeve for future installments of the Avatar franchise are largely a mystery for the time being. While friends like Arnold Schwarzenegger have visited the set, most of us are in the dark. After a quote by the Titanic filmmaker made it seem like he might let other directors take over the mantle, he clarified this in a recent interview with THR. When asked if he’s going to direct the fourth and fifth movies, he said:
Sure. Absolutely. I mean, they’re going to have to stop me. I got plenty of energy, love doing what I’m doing. Why would I not? And they’re written, by the way. I just reread both of them about a month ago. They’re cracking stories. They’ve got to get made. Look, if I get hit by a bus and I’m in an iron lung, somebody else is going to do it.
There you have it. Despite the rumors circulating online, it sounds like Cameron is determined to stay behind the camera for future Avatar movies. That is, unless the studio or something serious in his life force him to step away from the record-breaking sci-fi franchise.
This latest interview helps to clarify Cameron’s intentions to stay with the Avatar franchise until it reaches its conclusion. This should be a relief to fans of the franchise, who know how much of the movies’ success is due to the director’s passion and vision.
The chatter about new Avatar directors come from a previous interview James Cameron did with Empire. He addressed the possibility of another filmmaker stepping in, saying:
The Avatar films themselves are kind of all-consuming. 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. Or maybe not. I don’t know.
In his defense, the Terminator icon did mention that he wasn’t sure. And now it seems like he’s actually going to stick around for the fourth and fifth Avatar movies. So if he’s got other passion projects they might stay on the back burner for now.
Given the groundbreaking way that Cameron has used motion capture and visual effect, it’s hard to imagine anyone else behind the camera for Avatar. So fans should be happy that he’s sticking around… despite how it’s basically a full-time job.
The first two Avatar movies are streaming on Disney+ now, and the threequel Fire & Ash is expected December 25th, 2025. In the meantime, check out the 2025 movie release dates.