James Cameron Might Not Direct ‘Avatar’ 4 & 5

Avatar is one of those weird properties that everyone loved when it came out, but the question remains as to whether or not the well is dry on fan support to continue the franchise. That’s part of what was so surprising about Fox/Disney re-upping the series for not only a sequel but for four sequels. Now, after years of delay, Avatar: Way of The Water is set to hit theaters on December 16th, 2022 with a third hitting the next year. That leaves chapters 4 and 5 in development, but a new report from Deadline could mean major changes for the franchise.

There would be no Avatar without James Cameron, but it sounds like he might be willing to give up the reins on future sequels:

“The Avatar films themselves are kind of all-consuming,” Cameron tells Empire in an interview. “I’ve got some other things I’m developing as well that are exciting. 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.”

With that said, the Terminator 2: Judgement Day director is still very passionate about the project:

“Everything I need to say about family, about sustainability, about climate, about the natural world, the themes that are important to me in real life and in my cinematic life, I can say on this canvas,” Cameron said. “I got more excited as I went along. Movie four is a corker. It’s a motherfucker. I actually hope I get to make it. But it depends on market forces. Three is in the can so it’s coming out regardless. I really hope that we get to make four and five because it’s one big story, ultimately.”