James Cameron Teases A Darker Portrayal Of The Na'vi In Avatar 3

After 13 long years, fans are finally going back to Pandora on the big screen courtesy of James Cameron and "Avatar: The Way of Water." And rather than wait another decade-plus to do another installment of what has become Cameron's signature franchise, "Avatar 3" is just around the corner, with "Avatar 4" and "Avatar 5" planned for the future as well. Cameron has even said that he has plans for "Avatar 6" and "Avatar 7" if the fans demand them, and it's somewhat dizzying to imagine how the acclaimed filmmaker might intend to keep the film series from running out of creative steam into those unusually high-numbered installments.

But of course, that's getting ahead of the game, since "The Way of Water" has only just come out, and it remains to be seen whether it will achieve the extremely high level of commercial success necessary to even turn a profit. Still, "Avatar 3" is basically a lock regardless of the box office performance of the first "Avatar" sequel, due to the reported fact that it's already been filmed concurrently with "The Way of Water." And in a recent interview, Cameron gave fans a glimpse at how the franchise's upcoming third installment will diverge significantly in tone from what fans have come to expect from the first two movies.

The scoop comes from an interview James Cameron gave with the French publication 20 Minutes, a portion of which has been helpfully translated by Reddit user u/guadyvenus. When asked by the reporter what viewers can expect from subsequent "Avatar" films that will follow "Avatar: The Way of Water," Cameron went into more detail than you might expect a filmmaker in his position to go into about films yet to be released:

"Different cultures than the ones I have already shown. Fire will be represented by the 'Ash People.' I want to show the Na'vi in a different light because so far I have only shown their good side. In the first films, there are very negative human examples and very positive Na'vi examples. In 'Avatar 3,' we will do the opposite," said Cameron.

A volcanic race of Na'vi who are more aggressive and who will act as antagonists in future "Avatar" installments is a tantalizing prospect for "Avatar" fans and indicates just how deeply considered Cameron's universe is — we've only seen the tip of the iceberg so far. And Cameron had even more tidbits to share in his answer to this one question during the interview.

The Ash People is the most specific component of "Avatar 3" that James Cameron mentioned in his 20 Minutes interview, but he did go into a little more detail on what fans can expect from the movie. "We will also explore new worlds while continuing the story of the main characters," he said, which could be a reference to the rumors of a return to Earth in later "Avatar" films (via Yahoo), or it could simply be a promise of other fictional planets apart from Pandora — certainly a promising notion given the success with which Cameron has crafted Pandora before our eyes. 

Then, Cameron made perhaps his most startling boast yet: "I can say that the last few installments will be the best. The others were an introduction, a way to set the table before serving the meal." But whether we get to see those later installments is still somewhat up in the air: "But, of course, it all depends on how 'Avatar 2' is received, if it will find its audience."

Hopefully, for fans currently lapping up "Avatar: The Way of Water" with unbridled glee, Cameron will get to release not just "Avatar 3" but all the "Avatar" sequels that exist in his fertile imagination — and we'll be able to see for ourselves whether they will indeed be superior entertainments to the first two movies as he ambitiously promised.