James Cameron All In: Ready to Helm ‘Avatar’ 4 & 5 Himself!

James Cameron isn’t ready to step away from Pandora just yet. Despite some recent speculation online, the legendary director has made it clear that he still wants to be the one behind the camera for Avatar 4 and 5.

In an interview with Empire magazine, Cameron confirmed that he’s not planning to hand off the directing duties to anyone else, at least not if he can help it. “I mean, there’s no reason not to,” he told Empire. “I’m healthy, I’m good to go.”

The Avatar series has been in the works for a long time. After the massive success of the first film in 2009, Cameron didn’t just plan one sequel, he imagined a five-movie saga. Something huge, on the level of The Lord of the Rings, but built from scratch.

It’s been a long and challenging process. He’s already completed The Way of Water, released in 2022, and the next chapter, Fire and Ash, is set to hit theaters in December of this year.

Since he’s been working on this story for over 15 years, some fans have wondered whether he might step back and let someone else take over the final films. But Cameron seems determined to stick with it. Still, he admits that things could change.

“I’m not going to rule it out,” he said. “I mean, I’ve got to make it in a vigorous way, to handle the kind of volume and energy of the work for another six or seven years. You know what I mean? I might not be able to do that.”

If he did decide to bring in another director, it wouldn’t be the first time. He pointed to his experience working with Robert Rodriguez on Alita: Battle Angel, a project Cameron helped develop but didn’t direct himself.

“I had a great working relationship – and I’m using this as an example, not as an answer – with Robert Rodriguez on Alita,” Cameron explained. “He honoured what I had written. We worked very collaboratively.” But for now, Cameron says he’s staying on. “If I can, I’ll just do it,” he said.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third film in the franchise and was shot back-to-back with The Way of Water in New Zealand. Production wrapped in 2020 after more than three years of filming.

The series has faced multiple delays, mostly due to the technical demands of shooting underwater scenes with performance capture. The next two sequels, Avatar 4 and 5, are currently in different stages of production. They’re expected to come out in 2029 and 2031.

The Empire interview gives fans hope that Cameron will stay with the franchise to the end, just as he always planned. As long as his health holds up and nothing major changes, it sounds like he’s ready to bring the story home himself.

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