James Cameron Might Not Direct Avatar 4 & 5

Released in 2009, Cameron’s original sci-fi film, Avatar, once again demonstrated the director’s penchant for breaking box office records and pushing the limits of filmmaking technology. The phenomenal success of Avatar prompted 20th Century Fox to greenlight plans for four sequels.

Meanwhile, the third film in the Avatar franchise will release in December 2024. According to previous reports, Disney and 20th Century Fox may delay allowing Cameron to begin filming Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 until they see some box office receipts from the first sequel he directs. And now Cameron has revealed that it might be time to “pass the baton” on to someone else. Keep reading to know more.

Cameron Might not direct Avatar 4 & 5

In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Cameron admitted, “The Avatar films themselves are all-consuming.”

Following the film’s success, Cameron planned an epic new four-film sequel saga set on Pandora, the first of which, Avatar: The Way Of Water, will be released later this year, after a ten-year wait. The Way of Water will be followed by Avatar 3, which was shot concurrently with the new film. Avatar 4 and 5 will be in production sooner rather than later, but Cameron doubts his directorial return, saying:

“I’ve got some other things I’m developing as well that are exciting. I think eventually over time – I don’t know if that’s after three or after four – I’ll want to pass the baton to a director that I trust to take over, so I can go do some other stuff that I’m also interested in. Or maybe not. I don’t know.”

The possibility that someone other than Cameron will direct Avatar 4 and 5 is significant.
It’s also possible that the filmmaker is tired of working on Avatar: The Way of Water for so long. He could also be thinking about what this commitment entails. If Cameron directs every Avatar sequel, he’ll be working on these films until his mid-70s, assuming no further delays.

However, the director has prepared the franchise well for a director change. Cameron previously stated that each Avatar sequel’s stories are stand-alone, allowing a new director to make their mark. It will also be interesting to see how the public reacts to such a development if Avatar 2 and 3 succeed.

Who do you think Cameron should pass the baton to? Let us know in the comments down below.