James Cameron Says He’s “Good to Go” for ‘Avatar’ 4 and 5 – No Plans to Step Aside

James Cameron isn’t done with the Avatar world just yet. Even after spending nearly two decades building one of the biggest sci-fi franchises in movie history, he’s still fully committed to finishing what he started.

Some fans thought he might step back and let someone else direct Avatar 4 and 5, but Cameron says that’s not the plan.

Talking to Empire magazine in a feature on the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash, Cameron made it clear he still wants to direct the final two films himself. “I mean, there’s no reason not to,” he said. “I’m healthy, I’m good to go.”

Still, he’s realistic about how demanding these massive productions can be. Making Avatar movies is a huge job, and he knows anything could happen in the next few years. “I’m not going to rule it out,” he added. “I mean, I’ve got to make it in a vigorous way, to handle the kind of volume and energy of the work for another six or seven years. You know what I mean? I might not be able to do that.”

Cameron isn’t totally against the idea of bringing in another director, if it ever came to that. He’s done it before. He mentioned working with Robert Rodriguez on Alita: Battle Angel, a project Cameron helped shape but didn’t direct. “I had a great working relationship – and I’m using this as an example, not as an answer – with Robert Rodriguez on Alita,” he said. “He honoured what I had written. We worked very collaboratively.”

But if everything goes well, Cameron says he’s staying onboard all the way to the end. “If I can, I’ll just do it,” he said.

Cameron’s been dreaming up this five-part saga since before the first Avatar even came out. After its huge success in 2009, he officially announced the first two sequels back in 2010. At the time, Avatar 3 was aiming for a 2015 release, but that didn’t happen.

As the series grew to five planned films and Cameron pushed the boundaries of filmmaking technology (like filming motion capture underwater), delays kept piling up.

Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third movie in the franchise, was filmed at the same time as The Way of Water. Shooting started in New Zealand in 2017 and wrapped in late 2020 after more than three years.

The movie has been delayed nine times, with its current release date set for December 19, 2025. The next two films, Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, are already in the works and are expected to be released in 2029 and 2031.

The story and characters are expanding too. Fire and Ash brings back familiar faces like Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet, Stephen Lang, and more. It also introduces new ones, played by Oona Chaplin and David Thewlis.

Cameron’s vision for Avatar has always been big, and despite the long journey and technical challenges, he still seems excited to be the one guiding the ship. According to Empire, he’s not ready to pass the torch, at least not yet.

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