James Cameron Says He Could Make Avatar 6 And 7 If People Want Them
It's impossible to think of a bigger cinematic madman than James Cameron. For over 13 long years, the visionary behind some of the most endurable blockbusters ever made ("Terminator 2: Judgment Day") has been working long and hard to bring his four "Avatar" sequels to the screen. Ever since "The Way of Water" was initially slated for release in 2014, it became a joke every time they had to push it back another year. But the ultimate lesson therein is that you never doubt Cameron, as the long-awaited sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time is only weeks away from its world premiere.
"The Way of Water" exists as this unpredictable cinematic experiment that truly could go either way. Cameron has referred to the follow-up as "the worst business case in movie history," and he's not entirely wrong. Colossal budgets have become the industry norm, and yet this holds an absurdly expensive price tag between $350 – $400 million. But given that "Avatar" currently sits atop the Hallelujah Mountains with nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office, if anyone in Hollywood is going to have access to that much money, it's the Academy Award-winning filmmaker who holds two coveted spots of the industry's greatest money makers, and could likely secure another.
In a few weeks' time, we'll find out whether Cameron's massive gamble was worth the time, money, and hype. Besides recuperating its costs, there's also the matter of what the fate will look like for its sequels, one of which has already been shot. If they do well, it looks like Cameron could be on board for developing more of them.
'I would have to train somebody how to do this'
As Cameron waits with bated breath to see if the return to Pandora was worth it, he seems optimistic enough to keep the "Avatar" train rolling. While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, the "Titanic" filmmaker talks about how the prospect of a sixth and seventh "Avatar" is not entirely out of the question, and would likely require another set of meticulously trained hands to make it happen:
"Obviously, I'm not going to be able to make Avatar movies indefinitely, the amount of energy required [...] I would have to train somebody how to do this because, I don't care how smart you are as a director, you don't know how to do this."
In any other case, a filmmaker showboating about how great they are at making movies would come off as pompous, but Cameron has more than earned the right. Whenever he makes a movie that requires state-of-the-art special effects, he doesn't just build upon what came before, but rather develops astounding leaps in technological advancement that often creates a paradigm shift in how movies are made.
I liked "Avatar" when it came out, but seeing it during its re-release a month back gave me a greater appreciation for Cameron's craft for what blockbusters movies could be. He lives and breathes this material. It's abundantly clear that he believes in the viability of Pandora, so if "The Way of Water" shows enough promise to open it up even further, I say let Cameron get to training his honorary apprentice.
"Avatar: The Way of Water" is set to hit theaters on December 16, 2022.