Avatar 4 and 5 may be scrapped if The Way of Water flops, says James Cameron: 'It's a different world now'

Avatar The Way of Water director James Cameron has said that if the film flops, the planned 4th and 5th parts may be scrapped and the story wrapped with the third film.

Avatar The Way of Water, the much-awaited sequel to the blockbuster Avatar, is all set for its grand theatrical release. One of the most eagerly-anticipated films of the recent times, Avatar 2 has been expected to break box office records. The makers have already mentioned that there are three more films in the franchise planned. However, director James Cameron recently said that the future of the franchise depends upon how part 2 does at the box office.

James Cameron’s follow-up to Avatar (2009) is releasing in December. (Courtesy Everett Collection)

Avatar released in 2009 and emerged as the highest-grossing film of all time, raking in over $2.9 billion globally. The sequels were announced by director James Cameron in 2011. He mentioned in 2017 that writing for four sequels was completed, and the filming for The Way of Water began later that year.

In a recent interview with Total Film Magazine, the director said, “The market could be telling us we're done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: 'Okay, let's complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,' if it's just not profitable ... We're in a different world now than we were when I wrote this stuff, even. It's the one-two punch – the pandemic and streaming. Or, conversely, maybe we'll remind people what going to the theater is all about. This film definitely does that. The question is: how many people give a s*** now?”

Earlier, the film’s producer John Landau had revealed that parts of Avatar 3 and 4 had already been shot. “We've completed most of the first act of Avatar 4 and there were logistical reasons why we needed to do that. We've designed most of the whole movie for Avatar 4 but we haven't actually filmed all of it – just the first act,” he told Variety.

Avatar The Way of Water brings back Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, and Sigourney Weaver from the first film, while adding Kate Winslet to the mix. The film will release globally on December 16, 2022.