Director James Cameron told Entertainment Weekly that he plans to hold a press conference to reveal plot details for Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 if the series ends after the third film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which is currently in theaters. The Oscar-winning director was vocal at the Fire and Ash press tour that the future of the Avatar series hinged on the financial success of the third film. If not, you’re ready to end the series.
“I don’t know if the story will go beyond this point. I hope so,” Prime Minister Cameron told EW. “But, you know, we prove that business case every time we go out… If for some reason we don’t get 4 and 5, we’ll call a press conference and explain what we were going to do. How do you like it?”
Cameron said that another option would be to novelize the scripts for Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, adding, “There’s so much culture, so much backstory, so many facets of detail that have been worked out into these characters. I’d love to do something with that level of granularity.”
When asked about Avatar 4 in an interview with Variety, Cameron said, “We’re ahead of the game.” The reason is, “We’ve got to make some money with this. Every time we go out, we have to prove this crazy business case all over again. The world has changed. We all know the statistics on how theater is. It’s been a bad year. We’re starting to pick up a little bit with some recent releases. ‘Wicked: For Good’ is over.'” Well, Zootopia 2 is doing well, so let’s take a look. ”
Fire and Ash has done so well at the box office that Cameron doesn’t seem to need to hold a press tour for the final two Avatar films. The film has grossed more than $500 million at the worldwide box office a week after its theatrical release, and is expected to continue to do well into the new year. The previous two Avatar movies both exceeded the $2 billion mark worldwide.
Jon Landau, the series’ late producer, revealed to Gizmodo in 2022 that Avatar 5 would bring Na’vi characters to Earth, adding, “And we’re going into this to open people’s eyes and Neytiri’s eyes to what exists on Earth.”
Cameron has not yet decided whether he will direct the next two Avatar films. He told Empire in 2022 that he might “want to pass the baton” to another director starting with “Avatar 4” because being at the helm of a series is “all-consuming.” But he recently said before the release of Fire and Ash that there was “no reason not” to direct the next sequel himself.
Prime Minister David Cameron added: “I’m healthy. I’m fine. I’m not going to rule it out.” “So I have to work hard to sustain this amount of work and energy for another six or seven years. You know what I mean? I may not be able to do it… (but) if I can, I’ll just do it.”
