James Cameron has hinted that he might be done directing Avatar movies and wants to try new projects.
Cameron has directed all three Avatar films so far, including last year’s Fire and Ash. Two more Avatar films are already planned, but in a recent interview, he said he is now thinking about other stories to tell.
He spoke about this after receiving a lifetime achievement award in 2026. When asked about his future plans, he said the Avatar series kept him busy for 21 years, since it started in 2005.
“That’s exactly the question of the hour for me, because there’s been a lot of momentum in the Avatar universe for me, across 21 years at this point, because we started in 2005,” NME quoted Cameron.
He mentioned taking a break once to build a submarine for deep-sea diving, but then he came right back to working on Avatar.
“It’s been kind of an unbroken continuum,” he remarked.
Now, Cameron says he is thinking about what other stories he wants to tell.
“So this is the point when I’m looking around at the landscape and thinking, what are the other stories I want to tell? How many of them do I need to direct myself, versus writing and/or producing and working with other filmmakers?”
He explained that he has mapped out potential projects and wonders “what will do the most good.”
He also said he looks at his project ideas and asks himself if they will make the world better for his children.
“I started looking at all the projects I’m fond of and saying, ‘How’s that going to improve our condition? How’s that going to make the world better for my kids?’”
He hasn’t made any final decisions yet. He said he doesn’t know if this next chapter of his career will last one year or twenty years.
“I’m still in this liminal state, mapping out kind of the last act, if you will. And I don’t know if that last act is a year or twenty years, but we’ll see.”
Avatar 4 and 5 are still set to come out in 2029 and 2031. Some of Avatar 4 has already been filmed. But after finishing Fire and Ash, Cameron said he wants to be less involved in every small detail of future films. He also said he’d like to make the next films faster and cheaper.
The original 2009 Avatar is still the highest-earning movie ever, making over $2.9 billion.
