James Cameron Says He Will Direct ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ and ‘Avatar 4’ Unless “I Get Hit By a Bus”
Just days after revealing that Avatar 3 will officially be titled Avatar: Fire and Ash, director James Cameron says he is not going anywhere.
Cameron, who will soon be 70 years old, spoke in 2022 about wanting to “pass the baton” to another director to carry the Avatar franchise forward.
Following the massive success of Avatar: The Way of Water, Disney quickly put Avatar 3 and Avatar 4 into production. At the time, Cameron talked about wanting to find a successor to hand the franchise off to after the third or fourth film.
“The Avatar films themselves are kind of all-consuming. I’ve got some other things I’m developing as well that are exciting,” he told Empire.
“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.”
Cameron Changes His Tune
During his recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron changed his tune. In fact, he was adamant that he wanted to direct Avatar 4 and Avatar 5.
Source: 20th Century Studios
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Avatar 5 will not be released in theaters until December 19, 2031, which means Cameron will be 77 years old when the film opens.
Source: 20th Century Studios
Still, by the sound of things, Cameron still has the passion and energy to stay at the helm of the Avatar franchise.
What About ‘Avatar 6’ and ‘Avatar 7’
In February, however, Cameron revealed that he has plans for an Avatar 6 and an Avatar 7. At the time, the director admitted that he would likely have to hand off the reigns by that point.
“I mean, mortality catches up. But we’re enjoying what we’re doing. We’re loving it. We get to work with great people,” he said.
Photo: Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
For now, however, it looks like James Cameron is not going anywhere. That in and of itself should have Avatar fans excited for the future.
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