James Cameron, who directed Avatar: The Way of Water and is already working on its sequel Avatar 3, may not be returning for Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 as he plans to work on “other things”. In a new interview, the TitanicThe filmmaker said he could “pass the baton” to another director, if he is unable to fit the proposed sequels into his schedule. Cameron, however, left no indication of who is likely to take over as director when he steps down, suggesting he may not have a replacement in mind at this time.
Cameron told Empire, “The Avatar movies themselves are pretty consuming. I have other things that I’m developing as well that are exciting. I think over time – I don’t know if it’s after three or four hours – I’ll want to hand over to a director I trust to take over, so that I can go and do other things I’m also interested in. Or maybe not. I do not know.”
The veteran director further revealed that while Avatar 3 is a lock, the fate of its sequels will depend on “market forces.” Cameron added that he hopes to do Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 anyway because they are part of a “big story”.
While nothing is set in stone, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Cameron did indeed go that route after Avatar 3. He had previously tapped Robert Rodriguez to helm the Rosa Salazar-led cyberpunk action Alita: Battle Angel. Cameron originally wanted to adapt this for the big screen, but he was tied to Avatar: The Way of Water.
Cameron, meanwhile, is awaiting the release of Avatar: The Way of Water, which has garnered a lot of attention due to its nearly silent teaser. The sequel to the 2009 sci-fi film Avatar is headlined by Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña reprising their roles as Jake Sully and Neytiri, respectively, from the first film. The likes of Stephen Lang, Dileep Rao and Matt Gerald also return as the respective characters of Avatar. Lang and Gerald feature interestingly in Avatar: The Way of Water despite the fact that their characters died in the first film.
Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel and CJ Jones are the new additions to the Avatar universe.
Avatar: The Way of Water releases December 16 in India in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The second Avatar The film will be followed by three more sequels with Avatar 3, Avatar 4, and Avatar 5 slated for December 2024, December 2026, and December 2028, respectively. Cameron might not return to direct Avatar 4 and Avatar 5.
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