James Cameron has compared writing his Avatar sequels to creating The Lord of the Rings, revealed that he might not direct all five trips to Pandora because it’s “all-consuming”, and found a bit of time to admonish the Marvel and DC cinematic universes, but the latest soundbite from the legendary director finds him on the back foot about the future of his blockbuster franchise beyond December 16’s Avatar: The Way of Water.
The usually bullish Academy Award winning director of Terminator 2 and The Abyss revealed to Slashfilm that he was prepared to wrap things up after the third film if The Way of Water is “just not profitable”.
Cameron has spoken previously about handing over the reins after the third film, but now he seems to be preparing for a scenario in which Avatar isn’t the cultural phenomenon it was back in 2009, where a so-so opening weekend of $77 million snowballed into the biggest grossing film of all time.
Framing his concerns against the backdrop of a pandemic affected cinemagoing landscape and the shift towards streaming as a major point of consumption for film fans, Cameron said “The market could be telling us we’re done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: ‘Okay, let’s complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,’ if it’s just not profitable.”
He continued “We’re in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even. It’s the one-two punch — the pandemic and streaming. Or, conversely, maybe we’ll remind people what going to the theater is all about. This film definitely does that. The question is: how many people give a shit now?”
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Avatar 3 is currently set for release on December 20, 2024. The question us: do you think you’ll give a shit by then? Let us know what you think about Cameron’s comments and how many times you’ll want to return to Pandora by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, “Avatar: The Way of Water” begins to tell the story of the Sully family (Jake, Neytiri, and their kids), the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure.
Avatar: The Way of Water is directed by James Cameron and sees Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Matt Gerald, Dileep Rao, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi, and Sigourney Weaver all reprising their roles from the 2009 blockbuster, while new additions to the cast include Kate Winslet, Oona Chaplin, Cliff Curtis, Britain Dalton, Filip Geljo, Jamie Flatters, Bailey Bass, Trinity Bliss, Jack Champion, Duane Evans Jr., Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Michelle Yeoh, Jemaine Clement, Keston John, and CJ Jones.
Avatar: The Way of Water is set for release on December 16th.
