Key Takeaways
- Franchise Status: James Cameron is uncertain about the future of the Avatar franchise, pending the financial success of Avatar: Fire and Ash.
- Press Conference: Cameron plans to hold a press conference to discuss Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 if the franchise concludes after the latest installment.
- Novelization Possibility: There is a chance that the scripts for Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 could be turned into novels.
- Financial Considerations: Cameron emphasizes the need for Fire and Ash to perform well at the box office to justify future sequels.
James Cameron is at a crossroads with his Avatar franchise. The latest chapter in the series, Avatar: Fire and Ash, recently crossed the $500 million mark on Christmas Day, but without knowing how much more the movie will make during its theatrical run, it’s challenging to know what the future holds. Previously, Cameron said he would end the series after the third installment if Fire and Ash didn’t make enough money. This conundrum puts Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 in stasis, and Cameron is busy making plans for both the success and premature end of Avatar.
James Cameron on the future of the Avatar franchise
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Cameron said he will hold a press conference to reveal the plot details of Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 if the franchise ends after Avatar: Fire and Ash.
“I don’t know if the saga goes beyond this point. I hope it does,” Cameron told Entertainment Weekly. “But, you know, we prove that business case every time we go out… If we don’t get to make 4 and 5, for whatever reason, I’ll hold a press conference and I’ll tell you what we were gonna do. How’s that?”
Could Avatar 4 & Avatar 5 become novels?
Cameron has previously mentioned that he could novelize the remaining plot of his Avatar franchise, even if that’s not what fans of the film franchise would prefer. It’s better than nothing, right?
“There’s so much culture and backstory and lateral detail in these characters that’s been worked out. I’d love to do something that’s at that level of granular detail,” Cameron said about turning his Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 scripts into books.
Cameron spoke to Variety, admitting that plans for the sequels are unknown, saying, “We’re getting ahead of ourselves.” He then added, “We’ve got to make some money with this one [Fire and Ash]. Every time we go out, we have to prove this crazy business case yet again. The world has changed. We all know the stats, where theatrical is. It’s been a bad year. It’s starting to perk up a little bit with a couple of recent releases: ‘Wicked: For Good’ has done well, and ‘Zootopia 2’ is doing well. So, we’ll see.”
Cameron encourages fans to share their thoughts on whether they hope he gets to make Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, or if they would be okay with reading novelized versions of the scripts in the comments section below.
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Variety, Entertainment Weekly
