Avatar: James Cameron Comments on Sequels Status Following The Way of Water's Box Office Success

It seems it's only a matter of time before the next Avatar movies get the green light. Prior to Avatar: The Way of Water's release, director James Cameron's cautioned that future installments depended on the first sequel's box office performance. The Way of Water is performing well, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing movie of all time and reaching the point of making back its budget. With Avatar 3 already done, this would suggest that Cameron will get the go-ahead to make the next two movies, and that reality seems to only be dawning on him now. As seen in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

"It looks like just with the momentum that the film has now that will easily pass our break even in the next few days, so it looks like I can't wiggle out of this, I'm gonna have to do these other sequels," Cameron said. "I know what I'm going to be doing the next six or seven years. The point is we're going to be okay. I'm sure that we'll have a discussion soon with with the top folks at Disney about the game plan going forward for Avatar 3, which is already in the can – we've already captured and photographed the whole film so we're in extended post-production to do all that CG magic. And then Avatar 4 and 5 are both written. We even have some of 4 in the can. We've begun a franchise at this point. We've begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films."

What will Avatar 3 be about?

Cameron sees the Avatar saga as one big story, comparing it to episodic television. He also recently revealed that the next installment will involve antagonist Na'vi with a connection to fire.

"The fire will be represented by the 'Ash People,'" Cameron told 20 minutes, a French newspaper. "I want to show the Na'vi from another angle because, so far, I have only shown their good sides. In the early films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na'vi examples. In Avatar 3, we will do the opposite. We will also explore new worlds, while continuing the story of the main characters. I can say that the last parts will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal."

Avatar: The Way of Water is now playing in theaters. Avatar 3 is scheduled for theatrical release on December 20, 2024.