Avatar 6 & 7 Teased: Why James Cameron Has No Plans To End The Series Soon
James Cameron was a big winner at this year's Saturn Awards, with "Avatar: The Way of Water" taking home four trophies, including one for best science fiction film. While at the event, Cameron also teased the future of the franchise. Everyone's anticipating "Avatar 3" next up on the docket, but the auteur already has his sights set on "Avatar 6" and "Avatar 7."
Cameron spoke with People about the franchise and admitted that while progress has been good, he can't steer it forever. "We're fully written through movie five, and I've got ideas for six and seven, although I'll probably be handing the baton on at that point," the filmmaker explained. "I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we're enjoying what we're doing. We're loving it. We get to work with great people."
It's far too early to speculate what "Avatar 6" and beyond could be about. Some fans have theorized the film series draws from Chinese philosophy, with "Avatar 3" somehow centering around fire. Cameron previously teased how "Avatar 3" will focus on a Na'vi tribe connected to fire, known as the Ash People, and they'll be more malevolent than what we've seen of them so far. Pandora is a big planet, and with Cameron's plans, the movies might just explore every facet of it.
James Cameron wants Avatar to be another Star Wars
"Avatar" has spawned a total franchise, cementing its cultural legacy. In addition to two feature-length films, both of which have grossed over $2 billion, the series also has various video games, including the 2023's "Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora." There are also "Avatar" comic books to help fill in some gaps from the movies. "Avatar" is branching out in big ways, so it's no wonder James Cameron wants to stay in this world and flesh it out to rival other big sci-fi franchises.
In his interview with People, Cameron spoke about having a precedent for the potential longevity of the "Avatar" franchise. "Star Trek, Star Wars, the world building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations," he said. And while the first "Avatar" came out in 2009, it's still just getting started. "We're still a young universe," he pointed out. "We're only two movies in; we're halfway through our third right now. To have that kind of cultural impact over time, you got to pour all your heart and energy into it."
As far as Cameron's involvement in Avatar movies, he's floated the idea of passing directorial duties to someone else before. Whoever takes the reins of the franchise will have some mighty big shoes to fill, but Cameron shows no signs of slowing down now. Even if someone else takes over for "Avatar 6," he still has three more movies to wrap up before then. Plus, as the director has shown before, he doesn't mind taking his time to ensure an "Avatar" movie is done right.