Whether fans get to return to Pandora on the big screen or not, James Cameron assures us we’ll find out how the Avatar story ends. The third film in his saga, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is currently in theaters, and while the fourth and fifth films in the saga are dated for 2029 and 2031, Cameron has played coy about whether or not he’s actually going to make them.
But the films do have scripts. Scripts that the actors have read, loved, and even filmed parts of. However, if for some reason they don’t get made, Cameron swears he’ll let everyone know what was going to happen in them. “Here’s what it is,” the director told Entertainment Weekly. “If we don’t get to make 4 and 5, for whatever reason, I’ll hold a press conference and I’ll tell you what we were gonna do. How’s that?”
That sounds like a joke, but Cameron isn’t usually one to mess around. Disney, on the other hand, would probably have something to say about Cameron giving away valuable intellectual property for free. This isn’t The Midnight Club. Previously, Cameron had discussed telling future stories in book form if the movies didn’t work out, which would allow for all the rich detail to be included. Now, though, he says, “There’s no business model for [books] anymore,” he said. “People aren’t reading.”
Ultimately, though, we don’t think any of this is going to be an issue. Avatar: Fire and Ash is doing incredibly well at the box office, having grossed about $153 million domestically and $544 million globally in just over a week. It’s slightly underperforming compared to the previous film, Avatar: The Way of Water, but should still easily cross $1 billion, which would all but assure the fourth and fifth films would happen.
Plus, as we said, those films have already been written. So the hardest part—figuring out what story to tell—is already done. It’s just about Disney agreeing to spend close to $1 billion on making and marketing the two films, getting Cameron to put aside several other projects, and getting him to commit.
We’ll probably find out early next year whether or not Cameron and Disney will move ahead with Avatar 4 and 5. And now, at least, we know if that doesn’t happen, Cameron will give everyone the goods at some point. Maybe a press conference. Maybe a book. Maybe a deep dive into the ocean. It’s James Cameron, after all. Anything is possible
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