James Cameron has suggested that his time directing Avatar films could be coming to an end as he considers moving on to “other stories”.
The legendary filmmaker has directed all three entries in the hugely successful sci-fi franchise so far, most recently Avatar: Fire and Ash.
While Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 are already in the works, Cameron has hinted that he is now looking towards other projects and could take a step back from the franchise.
James Cameron. Photo credit Fred Duval. Shutterstock.jpg
Speaking about what he sees ahead for his career, Cameron said the question of what comes next is currently at the forefront of his mind.
“That’s exactly the question of the hour for me, because there’s been a lot of momentum in the Avatar universe for me, across 21 years at this point, because we started in 2005,” he said.
“I took a little time off to build a submersible to dive to the deepest spot of the planet, as you do, but then I came back to Avatar after that and it’s been kind of an unbroken continuum.”
He said he is now considering what other stories he wants to tell and how involved he needs to be in making them.
“So this is the point when I’m looking around at the landscape and thinking, what are the other stories I want to tell?” he said.
“How many of them do I need to direct myself, versus writing and/or producing and working with other filmmakers?”
James Cameron and wife Suzy Amis Cameron. Photo credit: Tinseltown, Shutterstock
Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 remain scheduled for release in 2029 and 2031 respectively.
Part of Avatar 4 has reportedly already been filmed, meaning Cameron is not necessarily walking away from the franchise completely.
However, following the release of Fire and Ash, he suggested that he plans to “pull back from being as hands-on with every tiny aspect of the process”.
James Cameron. Photo credit Kathy Hutchins, Shutterstock
Cameron has also previously spoken about wanting to make the next two Avatar films more efficiently.
In May, he said he would ideally like to make them “in half the time for two thirds of the cost”.
The director has spent more than two decades developing the Avatar universe, with the original film released in 2009.
Avatar The Way Of Water. Photo credit: Shutterstock
The franchise has since become one of the biggest in cinema history, with the first two films both ranking among the highest-grossing movies ever made.
