James Cameron, the visionary director behind the 'Avatar' franchise, addressed the future of the most ambitious saga in contemporary cinema. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, during the promotional tour for 'Avatar: Fire and Ash', Cameron made it clear that the fate of a fourth and fifth installment depends directly on the financial success of the third film, currently in theaters. “We have to make money with this one,” Cameron told Variety. “Every time we release a film, we have to prove this crazy commercial argument once again.” The filmmaker acknowledges the change in the film landscape: “The world has changed. We all know the statistics, the situation in theaters. It’s been a bad year.” An alternative plan: Cameron revealed an unusual plan if the franchise doesn't continue beyond 'Fire and Ash': he would hold a press conference to publicly unveil the plot details he had planned for 'Avatar 4' and 'Avatar 5'. “I don’t know if the saga goes beyond this point. I hope it does,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “But, you know, we prove that commercial point every time we go out… If we don’t make 4 and 5, for whatever reason, I’ll hold a press conference and tell you what we were going to do.”

Alternatively, the Oscar-winning director mentioned the possibility of novelizing his screenplays: “There’s so much culture, backstory, and side details on these characters that have already been worked out. I would love to do something with that level of detail.”

What is known about future installments?

Although plot details are being kept under wraps, Jon Landau, the franchise’s late producer, revealed to Gizmodo in 2022 that Avatar 5 would take the Na’vi characters to Earth. “And we’re going there to open people’s eyes, open Neytiri’s eyes, to what exists on Earth,” Landau explained.

Cameron also left it unclear whether he will personally direct the upcoming films. In 2022,He confessed to Empire that directing the franchise is an arduous task and that he might pass the torch to another director after Avatar 4. However, he recently clarified that stance: “I’m healthy, I’m ready to start. I’m not ruling it out.” “I mean, I have to do it with energy, so I can handle the volume and energy of the work for another six or seven years,” he added. “I may not be able to do it… but if I can, I will.” For the moment, it seems Cameron won't need to resort to his backup plan. 'Avatar: Fire and Ash' surpassed $500 million at the worldwide box office after its first week in theaters, and is expected to maintain a strong performance. The first two films in the franchise each grossed over $2 billion worldwide, setting a very high bar.