For the first time in over forty years, Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron finds himself without a project. The Canadian-born director made the revelation during an interview in Toronto following the Canadian premiere of his latest epic, Avatar: Fire and Ash.
A Moment of Uncertainty for a Filmmaking Legend
"I always say when Wile E. Coyote goes off the cliff and there’s that moment where he looks down and he realizes he’s not on the cliff anymore, that’s this moment," the 71-year-old director said. Cameron, whose legendary career includes Titanic, Aliens, and the Terminator series, has been immersed in the world of Pandora for two decades. The entire Avatar trilogy has consumed more than 30 years of his professional life, telling the story of Jake Sully and Neytiri.
With Avatar: Fire and Ash now in theatres, Cameron's immediate future is open. "What’s next is, I’m unemployed," he stated. He holds the rights to adapt Charles Pellegrino’s Ghosts of Hiroshima and there is speculation about a new Terminator story. However, the fate of two more planned Avatar films hinges on the box office performance of the third instalment.
The High Stakes for Pandora's Future
The financial bar is set extraordinarily high. The original 2009 Avatar film is the highest-grossing movie of all time with $2.9 billion globally, while the 2022 sequel, The Way of Water, sits in third place with $2.3 billion. Cameron has already filmed some sequences for a fourth film, but its full production will only proceed if Fire and Ash proves a similar success.
Cameron emphasized that the third film offers a complete narrative arc. "This film ends. It’s not a cliffhanger ending," he explained. The story deepens the environmental themes of the franchise while exploring grief, as the Sully family mourns their son Neteyam and faces new threats from a aggressive Na'vi tribe and the relentless Colonel Quaritch.
Artistry, AI, and the Magic of Movie Theatres
In an era of generative AI, Cameron stressed the profound human artistry behind the Avatar films. The production has not used generative AI, relying instead on performance capture where actors like Sigourney Weaver embody their roles physically for months. "She worked for 18 months. She lived and breathed (the character)... It’s a complete physical performance," Cameron said, pushing back against the notion that the roles are mere voice work.
The director also passionately defended the theatrical experience. He argues that the magic lies in the audience's surrender of control. "The second you take the remote away, it’s a different relationship," he said, comparing a cinema visit to a roller-coaster ride. This commitment to the big screen experience is central to his filmmaking philosophy.
As for his own body of work, Cameron admits to having favourite moments, including the iconic kiss on the bow in Titanic. For now, the master filmmaker waits to see if audiences will return to Pandora in sufficient numbers to launch the next chapter of his career. Avatar: Fire and Ash is now playing in theatres worldwide.
