James Cameron Claims He Will Stop Making 'Avatar' Films If THIS Happens

Ahead of "Avatar: The Way of Water" release, movie director James Cameron revealed that he intended to hang up the franchise if the next two sequels were a bust. The first film in the franchise, "Avatar," was released in 2009 and was one of the highest-grossing productions of all time.

The movie has been released several times over the years and made $2.922 billion overall. Despite its massive success previously, "Avatar" was released over ten years ago; hence there has been a number of comments concerning the sequels of the film and if there is actual demand for them.

Read on to learn more.

Cameron recently joined an interview with Total Film and disclosed his intention to shut down the "Avatar" franchise for good if the third and fourth sequels flopped. "Avatar: The Way of Water" is scheduled for release in December this year, and the next two sequels are currently in development.

During the interview, the filmmaker revealed that he was prepared to cut the franchise short after the release of "Avatar 3" if the sequels were unsuccessful. Cameron said, "The market could be telling us we're done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: 'OK, let's complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,' if it's just not profitable."

Fans of the franchise had to wait for almost over a decade before news of the "Avatar" sequel, "Avatar: The Way of Water," was announced. Due to the amount of time that passed, Cameron revealed that fans' enthusiasm might have suffered some changes.

Further on in the interview, the film director noted that as a result of the pandemic, the theatre had witnessed several changes. This has caused several studios to move to stream releases instead of theatre and reduce the gap between the two.

"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," Cameroon explained. "Or, conversely, maybe we'll remind people what going to the theater is all about. This film definitely does that."

The "Avatar" director revealed that the sequel was three hours long and that the entire thing was "a pretty much insane experience." Cameron also talked about several people who were not the franchise's biggest fans. "The question is: how many people give a shit now?" he said.

In an interview with Empire earlier this year, Cameron admitted that he wasn't sure he would be in charge of directing the fourth and fifth installments of "Avatar." The director explained that he had several projects he was interested in working on, and the films were very tasking.

"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."

Cameron talked about the fourth installment and described it as a "corker." He continued, "It's a motherfucker. I actually hope I get to make it. But it depends on market force. Three is in the can, so it's coming out regardless. I really hope that we get to make 4 and 5 because it's one big story, ultimately."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9MyW72ELq0

Cameron first announced the fourth and fifth installments of "Avatar" in 2010 when the film was wildly popular. The director initially aimed for a 2014 release for "Avatar: The Way of Water"; however, three more sequels were included. This and the need to develop suitable technology to film the movies delayed the sequel.

Most of the film was directed underwater, a feat never accomplished before. The delays allowed the crew to put in more work in areas like pre-production, writing, and visual effects. Filming of the movie started on August 15 and came to a close in September 2020.

After several delays, "Avatar: The Way of Water" will premiere in theaters worldwide on December 16 with Cameron as both the director and co-scriptwriter. Several original actors will reprise their roles in the movie, including lead characters Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña.