The sheer scale of James Cameron’s Avatar project may be finally becoming apparent to its creator, who has revealed that he may not direct all the upcoming movies. Although Avatar is clearly Cameron’s baby, having written the story and developed a plan for a total of five movies, Cameron has suggested that its all-consuming nature may mean that he will be handing over directorial duties on Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 to someone else.

Currently, fans of the original Avatar, which still holds its title as the highest-grossing movie of all time, are awaiting the long-in-development sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water hitting cinemas this December. The first trailer for the movie landed earlier this year and instantly piqued interest in the long-dormant franchise, and with a third movie already penciled in to release in 2024, with the movie having shot back to back with The Way of Water. Although there are similar plans in place for the filming of the fourth and fifth installments, Cameron has thrown doubt on his involvement behind the camera. He told Empire:

“The Avatar films themselves are kind of all-consuming. 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.”

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James Cameron Delivered Something Spectacular With Avatar, and Hopes to Continue

Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water

When Avatar was released in cinemas, it was one of the first movies to have been shot for a true 3D experience. While many other movies were jumping on the bandwagon of having pointing objects poking at the screen, Avatar’s use of technology made it something that had to be experienced in the theater and in a 3D format. With the visuals still just as stunning in Cameron’s sequel, there has to be more to it with the 3D fad not having quite the same intrigue as before. Thankfully, the director appears to believe very much in the story of his sequel, and its coming additions. He said:

“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. I got more excited as I went along. Movie four is a corker. It’s a motherf-cker. 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.”

Of course, no one is really expecting Avatar: Way of the Water to be a box office flop, but it is unlikely to quite hit the same heights as its predecessor. Whether people are still on board the story by the time Avatar 3 is released in two years’ time, may ultimately be the deciding factor in whether James Cameron gets to tell the whole story or not.