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James Cameron has come forward to say it would take getting hit by a bus to stop him from directing Avatar 4 and Avatar 5. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter said he “absolutely” plans to direct the fourth and fifth installments, and that’s a bit of a change in tone for the writer-director.
In 2022, Cameron said making the Avatar movies is an “all-consuming” process and he has other projects he wants to make. “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,” he said. “Or maybe not. I don’t know.”
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Cameron had a more direct response: “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?” he said.
Cameron went on to say both Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 are already written, and that he re-read the scripts recently. “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,” he said.
Nothing is ever guaranteed in Hollywood, though, so anything can happen. In an earlier interview, Cameron said he has a five-movie story arc planned for Avatar, and he hopes to be able to see it through. “I really hope that we get to make four and five because it’s one big story, ultimately,” he said.
The next Avatar film is Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is set for release in December 2025. “The new film is not what you expect. But it’s definitely what you want,” Cameron said at Disney’s D23 event recently.
2009’s Avatar ($2.92 billion) is the No. 1 highest-grossing movie of all time, with 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.32 billion) ranking No. 2 all time.
Cameron has a number of non-Avatar projects lined up, including the TV series OceanXplorers and a new Terminator project. He told The Hollywood Reporter of the new Terminator, “It’s totally classified.”
