For the 4th and 5th Avatar follow-ups, director James Cameron has stated that he would like to “pass the torch” to a different director. The renowned director created the stunning film Avatar in 2009 with the high-concept initial premise of life on Pandora. As the film’s director, writer, producer, and co-editor, Cameron put a lot of effort into it, and as a result, it became the all-time highest-grossing film. The movie got 9 Academy Awards nominations, including those for Best Picture and Best Director, winning 3 out of them, for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.
Avatar: The Way Of Water, the beginning of an ambitious new four-picture sequel saga set on Pandora that Cameron had planned following the favorable outcome of the first movie, is slated to hit theaters in late 2022, after a period of anticipation lasting for more than 10 years. Cameron has acknowledged that “The Avatar films themselves are kind of all-consuming,” when speaking to the Empire Magazine.
Avatar 3, which was filmed concurrently with The Way of Water, will be released after the impending picture. Avatar 4 and 5 will begin filming soon as well, however Cameron is unsure about returning to directing, saying: “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.”
The filmmaker continued, clarifying more about his intention: “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.” Avatar is mostly a narrative about personal growth that topics themes of imperialism and profound ecology. In the next follow-up, Kate Winslet will play Ronal alongside Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully, Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri, Stephen Lang’s Colonel Miles Quaritch, and Sigourney Weaver’s Dr. Grace Augustine.
Regarding Avatar 4, Cameron disclosed: “I got more excited as I went along. Movie four is a corker. It’s a motherfucker. 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.”
Avatar: The Way of Water will hit theaters on December 16, 2022.
