James Cameron may not direct Avatar 4 and 5 himself: ‘They’re kind of all-consuming’

James Cameron has said that he may not direct the fourth and fifth Avatar films himself.

The first follow-up to Cameron’s smash 2009 film, titled Avatar: The Way of Water, will be released in cinemas later this year.

The bulk of Avatar 3 was filmed along with the second movie between 2017 and 2020, along with some parts of the fourth film.

In a new interview with Empire, the Titanic director admitted that, with the sci-fi films taking so much time to make, he was considering passing the baton on to another director.

“The Avatar films themselves are kind of all-consuming,” Cameron said. “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 third Avatar film is currently scheduled for release in December 2024, with the next films following in December 2026 and 2028 respectively.

Avatar: The Way of Water will see original cast members Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña return to the franchise, with actors including Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, Michelle Yeoh and Vin Diesel also joining.

Sigourney Weaver will also be back in Avatar 2, despite her character dying in the first film.

On Monday (4 July), it was revealed which new character the Alien star would be playing, causing fans to react in shock.

Avatar: The Way of Water is released in cinemas on 16 December.