• James Cameron has hinted that he has ideas for Avatar 6 and 7.
• The film-maker has spent the last 15 years immersed in the Pandora universe.
• Avatar: The Way of Water is the first of four planned instalments.

James Cameron, the director and screenwriter has hinted that he has ideas for Avatar 6 and 7. Cameron has spent the better part of the last 15 years immersed in the Pandora universe, and the long-term project frequently prompts the question: Will the Titanic mastermind stay on to direct all future instalments?

We still have a long way to go before the Avatar franchise comes to an end. As you may be aware, Avatar: The Way of Water is the first of four planned instalments, with new entries arriving every two years.

In a previous interview, Cameron hinted at another filmmaker taking on the project, saying that “there are a lot of good filmmakers out there and a lot of good filmmakers that understand how to do CG and animation and world-building and all that sort of thing,” but that it would take a long time to transfer the knowledge he accumulated over the last decade to someone else.

However, he stated that having a backup plan would be beneficial, and now Avatar producer Jon Landau emphasizes that the possibility of changing directors at some point is not a wild assumption. He explained to our own Perri Nemiroff:

“I do think it’s a possibility because I think you would’ve said the same thing when Jim wrote his draft of ‘Alita: Battle Angel,’ that Jim’s never going to give this up for someone else to do. And we found a director who wanted to continue with what our vision was of the movie and allowed us to create a partnership with Robert [Rodriguez] where I was on the set every day with him, we edited the movie in Los Angeles, we were very much a part of the visual effects. So I think there are directors who can do that, and that was a great experience. And I think Jim is saying it now because of that experience with Robert. I think that proved to him that, when he’s ready, there will be someone. Do I ever think he’s gonna be ready? I’m not sure about that one.”

Even though the Avatar franchise’s future is extremely ambitious, it remains to be seen whether Disney and 20th Century Studios will still be willing to foot the bill in the coming years.

Cameron didn’t mince words when he called Avatar: The Way of Water “very f—expensive,” emphasizing that making a profit is critical for the franchise’s survival.

However, production continues moving forward as some elements of the franchise are shot back to back-like the first act of Avatar 4. Only time will tell if we get to see it.

Avatar: The Way of Water follows Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) 14 years after they first meet.

They must now lead the Na’vi once more in defending Pandora—and their children. Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, CCH Pounder, Bailey Bass, Cliff Curtis, and many more are also in the cast.

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