James Cameron may not direct last 'Avatar' movies
MANILA, Philippines — Filmmaker James Cameron has hinted that he may not be sitting on the director's chair for the final installments of his groundbreaking "Avatar" franchise.
The long-awaited sequel to his 2009's "Avatar" is set to be released this December, and a third film is already in production — and that may be the last time Cameron will be directing.
Cameron admitted to Empire magazine to finding the "Avatar" movies all-consuming, "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."
The "Titanic" director said that he had other projects in development "as exciting" as the "Avatar" films and wants to devote appropriate time for them as well.
But he assured that he is still not sure about stepping away from "Avatar" since production has yet to begin on the fourth and fifth movies, currently set for a 2026 and 2028 release dates.
"Movie four is a corker. It’s a m*********er. I actually hope I get to make it," Cameron shared. "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.”
Related: Disney unveils title, release date for 'Avatar 2'
The third movie was shot back-to-back with "Avatar: The Way of Water," which Cameron said revolves around themes important to him.
“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,” the director explained.
Cameron has not directed any film since the first "Avatar" as he was focused on developing its sequels. He passed "Alita: Battle Angel" to Robert Rodriguez but remained as writer and producer. He wrote and produced "Terminator: Dark Fate," and worked on several documentaries.
Apart from "Avatar" and "Titanic," Cameron is best known for the first two "Terminator" movies, "Aliens," and "The Abyss."
"Avatar: The Way of Water" will follow Sam Worthington's Jake Sully and Zoe Saldaña's Neytiri and the lengths they go through to keep their family, the Na'vi, and the planet Pandora safe.
Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang also return from the original movie, while newcomers include Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh and Kate Winslet — the latter collaborating with Cameron for the first time since "Titanic." The film premieres on December 16.
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