James Cameron Confirms ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Wraps Up First Saga
James Cameron has shared new details about his latest project, Avatar: Fire and Ash, explaining that the film is meant to close out the first Avatar saga.
Speaking to io9, the director described the first three Avatar films as a single story, with the final two planned movies forming a separate saga.
“I don’t think of Fire and Ash as a sequel. I think it was a culmination of a saga. I like ‘saga’ better than ‘sequel’ because a lot of where we were going with the story was in the original architecture of the story. So if you think of this as the third act, I think that’s healthier,” Cameron said.
He added that unlike typical Hollywood sequels, which often scramble to make a story work, this project has been carefully planned. “It’s a long game. And I went into it knowing that we’d be playing a long game and betting the audience would come along with us and care about these people. Because they may be 10 feet tall and blue, but they’re people.”
This world is much deeper than you imagine. Watch the brand-new trailer for Avatar: Fire and Ash and experience it in theatres December 19th.
— Avatar (@officialavatar) September 25, 2025
Also, don’t miss Avatar: The Way of Water back on the big screen in 3D for one week only, starting October 3rd. pic.twitter.com/nB5nOcrQMx
Cameron confirmed that Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 are still scheduled for release in 2029 and 2031, but he acknowledged that their production is not guaranteed. “It’s its own saga,” he said of the later films. “It’s got a beginning and a middle and an end that plays out across these two films. They’re vaporware right now.”
The actors, however, are eager for the story to continue. Jack Champion, who plays Spider, told io9, “I really hope that we get to make four and five, because it’s such a mind-bending, crazy story that I feel has to be told.” Trinity Bliss, who portrays Tuk, added, “It goes to the next level.”
Cameron’s remarks make it clear that Avatar: Fire and Ash is intended as a major turning point for the franchise, with the first saga reaching its planned conclusion. Whether the second saga comes to life remains uncertain, but fans of Pandora still have a long wait ahead to see what comes next.
What do you think about Cameron calling this the end of the first Avatar saga? Do you hope the next films get made? Share your thoughts in the comments.