Filmmaker James Cameron has shut down reports suggesting he may not direct the next two “Avatar” film entries.
To complete the fourth and fifth films in the series, it will occupy much of the 71-year-old filmmaker’s time over the next six years.
Speaking with Empire Magazine, Cameron says for now he’s fighting fit and willing to do it, but acknowledges he can’t rule out the possibility that he may not be able to:
“I mean, there’s no reason not to [direct Avatar 4 & 5]. I’m healthy, I’m good to go…I’m not going to rule it [other directors] out. I mean, I’ve got to make it in a vigorous way, to handle the kind of volume and energy of the work for another six or seven years. You know what I mean? I might not be able to do that.”
Asked if he’d consider other directors for the films if circumstances outside his control mean he can’t do it himself, he says:
“I had a great working relationship, and I’m using this as an example, not as an answer, with Robert Rodriguez on Alita. He honored what I had written. We worked very collaboratively…If I can, I’ll just do it.”
Cameron is busy developing several non-“Avatar” projects to produce, including his Japan-set WWII drama “Ghosts of Hiroshima,” a 3D concert film with Billie Eilish, a “Fantastic Voyage” remake and the fantasy action feature “The Devils” based on Joe Abercrombie’s novel.
Asked by the magazine what drew him to adapt “The Devils,” he says:
“It’s nuts. The whole thing is off its t-ts. I was literally reading parts of the book out loud to my wife Suzy. And it dawned on me: ‘I like this book so much, I should just buy it.’ It doesn’t have the kind of conscience that Avatar does, but I don’t know if that’s a bad thing. [Hiroshima] is a movie you do because you have to. The Devils is a movie you do for fun.”
Cameron’s third “Avatar” film “Avatar: Fire & Ash” releases on December 19th.
