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Avatar 4 and 5 might not be directed by James Cameron

James Cameron's beloved underwater adventure movie franchise has three more movies to come, but Cameron might not be the director for two of them

Avatar 2: The Way of the Water

James Cameron is responsible for some of the best movies of all time, such as Aliens and Terminator. He is also responsible for Avatar, the underwater adventure movie from the 2000s – a movie which made a hell of a lot of money, and then everyone forgot about for the next ten years. That is, until Cameron announced he was making another four Avatar movies (yes, you read that right, four more).

The next instalment in the science fiction movie franchise, Avatar 2, will arrive in cinemas at the end of 2022, with James Cameron at the helm. But, while the man himself will take the director’s chair for the upcoming Way of the Water, and the third movie in the series, he has suggested he may not director Avatar 4 or 5.

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Cameron explained the production plans for the conveyor belt of Avatar sequels, including the uncertainty surrounding his own role on the fourth and fifth instalments.

“The Avatar films themselves are kind of all-consuming,” Cameron admitted. “I’ve got some other things I’m developing as well that are exciting,” he added.

“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,” the filmmaker explained. “Or maybe not. I don’t know.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Cameron has handed over the reins to a project so close to his heart. The director had long slaved over the development of Alita: Battle Angel, but eventually passed duties on to Robert Rodriguez.

The Avatar 2 release date is set for December 22, 2022.