James Cameron’s Avatar 2 Movie Image
James Cameron’s Avatar 3 still awaiting its theatrical release, James Cameron has already set his sights on the sixth and seventh instalments of the groundbreaking franchise.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the 51st annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles, Cameron, 69, discussed his involvement and the expansive vision for the Avatar series. “We’re fully written through movie five, and I’ve got ideas for six and seven, although I’ll probably be handing the baton on at that point,” Cameron revealed. “I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we’re enjoying what we’re doing. We’re loving it. We get to work with great people.”
Honoured with four awards, including Best Film Direction, Cameron expressed his desire for Avatar to become a lasting franchise akin to Star Wars and Star Trek. “Star Trek, Star Wars, the world-building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations,” Cameron explained. “We’re still a young universe. We’re only two movies in, we’re halfway through our third right now. To have that kind of cultural impact over time, you got to pour all your heart and energy into it.”
The release schedule for the upcoming Avatar movies is as follows: Avatar 3 in 2025, Avatar 4 in 2029, and Avatar 5 in 2031.
Responding to inquiries about the longevity of the franchise, Cameron emphasized the importance of connecting with the audience. “Why did Lucas keep working on the same thing? Why did Roddenberry keep working on the same thing? Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?”
Producer Jon Landau, 63, added, “And there are more stories to tell. I mean, it’s not like we’re trying to come up with stories. He’s got the stories, and we took the time to lay it out across all four sequels.”
Cameron acknowledged the success of the films and their global impact, stating, “People are innately empathetic. They innately want a connection to each other. They innately want beauty. So what does that tell us about us? And as human beings globally? Because the films are successful in all markets everywhere. And so I think that’s empowering for us.”
While remaining tight-lipped about specific details, Cameron teased the uniqueness of the upcoming sequels in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year, stating, “We decided we needed to leap way ahead to places that people couldn’t have predicted [for The Way of Water] and we’re gonna do that again with movie 3 as well.”
