Summary
- Cameron may step down from directing Avatar films after the fifth installment, leaving any subsequent movies in potential jeopardy.
- Disney will have trouble finding a suitable replacement director to sustain the success of the franchise without Cameron.
- Cameron’s previous franchises, like Terminator and Alien, struggled after his departure, indicating a potential downfall for Avatar if it continued without him.
Avatar is going to live on forever at this rate, but if it makes it to a sixth or seventh movie, it could encounter an issue that James Cameron has faced with his past franchises. 20th Century has released two films — Avatar in 2009 and Avatar: The Way of Water in 2022 — and Disney (which owns 20th Century) has plans to distribute at least three more movies through 2031. The first sequel grossed over $2.3 billion, so it’s understandable why Disney would want to milk the franchise for what it’s worth. However, that doesn’t mean it will be a smooth ride.
Cameron has directed multiple successful film franchises over the course of his career, with Avatar undoubtedly being the most profitable and popular. Even though there was a 13-year gap between the first two movies, the sequel still went on to become the third highest-grossing film of all time, with the first installment sitting pretty in the top spot. Cameron has concrete plans to continue the series through five movies and ideas for two more possible installments. But Disney might have to make Avatar 6 and Avatar 7 without Cameron’s involvement.
Avatar 6 & 7 Will Have The Pressure Of Trying To Replace James Cameron
During an interview with People, James Cameron confirmed what he presently has planned for the future of the Avatar franchise. Unfortunately, the director’s comments don’t bode well for the series maintaining its quality past the fifth film. Cameron said:
“We’re fully written through movie five, and I’ve got ideas for six and seven, although I’ll probably be handing the baton on at that point. I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we’re enjoying what we’re doing. We’re loving it. We get to work with great people.”
The good news is that Cameron has written the scripts for the next three Avatar movies and will direct them. The bad news is that if the franchise continues following the fifth installment, Cameron probably won’t sign on to direct a possible sixth or seventh film. Consequently, Disney will run into the significant problem of trying to replace Cameron with a worthy director who could continue the legacy he built, even if they use his story ideas. Given the filmmaker’s talent and history, the studio will have difficulty attempting to find someone who could meet these criteria.
Related Avatar 4 & 5’s Villain Was Secretly Mentioned In The First Movie: Theory Explained Miles Quaritch has so far been the only clear villain in the Avatar franchise, but many fans may also recognize the next possible antagonist.
James Cameron’s Other Franchises Have Failed To Properly Replace Him
Unfortunately, many of James Cameron’s previous film series have had difficulty achieving success after his departure, which doesn’t bode well for Avatar. Cameron directed and co-wrote the first two Terminator movies but exited before the third one, and the franchise began decreasing in quality, starting with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Ridley Scott passed the baton to Cameron for the first Alien sequel, which was a critical and commercial success. Like Terminator, Cameron wasn’t involved with the third Alien film, and the franchise suffered as a result.
Additionally, Cameron was supposed to direct Alita Battle Angel but passed on it, and Robert Rodriguez helmed it instead. The 2019 cyberpunk action movie wasn’t received well by critics (even though it performed decently at the box office). Ultimately, by looking at Cameron’s history, it’s evident that the Avatar franchise might be better off ending following the filmmaker’s exit rather than trying to continue with a different director.
Avatar
Avatar is a sci-fi action/adventure film created by James Cameron and released in 2009. Set in the fictional world of Pandora in the distant future, humans seek a rare mineral found on the planet but find a race of highly-intelligent beings directly in their mining path. To attempt to communicate and work with them, scientists create body replicas called “avatars,” and one man will change the destiny of both races using an avatar of his own.
Release Date December 18, 2009 Franchise Avatar