Ask any nerd about an IP that came to an abrupt ending, and they can probably give you an example (“Dark Angel,” “Firefly,” other Fox shows…). Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron plans to break that cycle if “Avatar 4” and “Avatar 5” don’t come to fruition. Those films are still slated for release in 2029 and 2031, respectively.
Cameron promises to hold a press conference revealing their plots if Disney doesn’t make them.
“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.”
“Here’s what it is,” he explained. “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?”
“Avatar 4” & “5”
As it stands, these upcoming films remain on Disney’s release calendar. The franchise’s 3rd installment, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” raked in $483.3 million globally in its first week. So, there is no reason to believe the later films won’t happen.
We all know how fickle the industry can be, and plenty of well-backed projects simply never get made. It’s very likely that Cameron just wants to cover his bases and ensure the story is told in case something happens. In the past, he has talked about novelizing the films, again, to ensure the story is told in its entirety.
“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. But, as he pointed out, “there’s no business model for it anymore. People aren’t reading. But anyway, it might be good to have the canonical record of what it was all supposed to be.”
This is in reference to a recent study by the University of Florida and University College London, which concluded that 40% fewer Americans are reading for pleasure. So it sounds like he may no longer want to go that route, and a press conference would probably reach more people.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is currently playing in theaters. It stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Britain Dalton, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Jack Champion, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, and Bailey Bass. You can check out a trailer below:
