James Cameron Reveals He Already Has Plans forAvatar‘6 and 7’ (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

James Cameron at the 51st Annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles.Photo:Gregg DeGuire/Variety via GettyAvatar3 may have not hit theaters yet, butJames Cameronhas already got plans for the sixth and seventh films in the franchise.In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the 51st annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, the director, 69, opened up about the sequels and his involvement.“We’re fully written through movie five, and I’ve got ideas for six and seven, although I’ll probably be handing the baton on at that point,” Cameron told PEOPLE. “I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we’re enjoying what we’re doing. We’re loving it. We get to work with great people.”Cameron — who was honored with four awards at the ceremony, including best film direction — also spoke about how he wantsAvatarto be a franchise likeStar WarsandStar Trek.Avatar.20th Century Fox“Star Trek, Star Wars, the world building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations," said Cameron. “And as I was saying out there, we’re still a young universe. We’re only two movies in, we’re halfway through our third right now, To have that kind of cultural impact over time, you got to pour all your heart and energy into it.”Avatar’s third movie is expected to hit theaters in 2025, withAvatar 4following in 2029 andAvatar 5in 2031.Cameron continued, “People are always asking us, ‘So why did you just keep working in the same…’ Why did Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did Roddenberry keep working in the same thing? Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?”James Cameron at the 51st annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles.Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty“And there are more stories to tell,” addedAvatarproducer Jon Landau, 63, to PEOPLE. “I mean, it’s not like we’re trying to come up with stories. He’s got the stories and we took the time to lay it out across all four sequels.”Meanwhile, Cameron went on to say that if the movies continue being successful — the first two films have become the No. 1 and No. 3 highest-grossing movies of all time — it proves that “people are innately empathetic.”“They innately want a connection to each other,” he added. “They innately want beauty. And so many science fiction films are dystopian.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“Ours is actually dystopian in its message to some extent, but it’s about beauty, it’s about connection, it’s about positive values, and that seems to be working,” Cameron continued. “So what does that tell us about us? And as human beings globally? Because the films are successful in all markets everywhere. And so I think that’s empowering for us.”WhileAvatarwas released in 2009,Avatar: The Way of Waterhit theaters in 2022 and grossed a whopping 2.3 billion dollars at the box office.Cameron and Landau have remained fairly tight-lipped about the upcoming sequels, but the director teased of the franchise in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterlast year, “We decided we needed to leap way ahead to places that people couldn’t have predicted [forThe Way of Water] and we’re gonna do that again with movie3as well.”

James Cameron at the 51st Annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles.Photo:Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty

Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty

Avatar3 may have not hit theaters yet, butJames Cameronhas already got plans for the sixth and seventh films in the franchise.In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the 51st annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, the director, 69, opened up about the sequels and his involvement.“We’re fully written through movie five, and I’ve got ideas for six and seven, although I’ll probably be handing the baton on at that point,” Cameron told PEOPLE. “I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we’re enjoying what we’re doing. We’re loving it. We get to work with great people.”Cameron — who was honored with four awards at the ceremony, including best film direction — also spoke about how he wantsAvatarto be a franchise likeStar WarsandStar Trek.Avatar.20th Century Fox“Star Trek, Star Wars, the world building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations,” said Cameron. “And as I was saying out there, we’re still a young universe. We’re only two movies in, we’re halfway through our third right now, To have that kind of cultural impact over time, you got to pour all your heart and energy into it.”Avatar’s third movie is expected to hit theaters in 2025, withAvatar 4following in 2029 andAvatar 5in 2031.Cameron continued, “People are always asking us, ‘So why did you just keep working in the same…’ Why did Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did Roddenberry keep working in the same thing? Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?”James Cameron at the 51st annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles.Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty“And there are more stories to tell,” addedAvatarproducer Jon Landau, 63, to PEOPLE. “I mean, it’s not like we’re trying to come up with stories. He’s got the stories and we took the time to lay it out across all four sequels.”Meanwhile, Cameron went on to say that if the movies continue being successful — the first two films have become the No. 1 and No. 3 highest-grossing movies of all time — it proves that “people are innately empathetic.”“They innately want a connection to each other,” he added. “They innately want beauty. And so many science fiction films are dystopian.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“Ours is actually dystopian in its message to some extent, but it’s about beauty, it’s about connection, it’s about positive values, and that seems to be working,” Cameron continued. “So what does that tell us about us? And as human beings globally? Because the films are successful in all markets everywhere. And so I think that’s empowering for us.”WhileAvatarwas released in 2009,Avatar: The Way of Waterhit theaters in 2022 and grossed a whopping 2.3 billion dollars at the box office.Cameron and Landau have remained fairly tight-lipped about the upcoming sequels, but the director teased of the franchise in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterlast year, “We decided we needed to leap way ahead to places that people couldn’t have predicted [forThe Way of Water] and we’re gonna do that again with movie3as well.”

Avatar3 may have not hit theaters yet, butJames Cameronhas already got plans for the sixth and seventh films in the franchise.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the 51st annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, the director, 69, opened up about the sequels and his involvement.

“We’re fully written through movie five, and I’ve got ideas for six and seven, although I’ll probably be handing the baton on at that point,” Cameron told PEOPLE. “I mean, mortality catches up. But I mean, we’re enjoying what we’re doing. We’re loving it. We get to work with great people.”

Cameron — who was honored with four awards at the ceremony, including best film direction — also spoke about how he wantsAvatarto be a franchise likeStar WarsandStar Trek.

Avatar.20th Century Fox

“Star Trek, Star Wars, the world building franchises that have been around since I was a kid, those were my inspirations,” said Cameron. “And as I was saying out there, we’re still a young universe. We’re only two movies in, we’re halfway through our third right now, To have that kind of cultural impact over time, you got to pour all your heart and energy into it.”

Avatar’s third movie is expected to hit theaters in 2025, withAvatar 4following in 2029 andAvatar 5in 2031.

Cameron continued, “People are always asking us, ‘So why did you just keep working in the same…’ Why did Lucas keep working in the same thing? Why did Roddenberry keep working in the same thing? Because when you connect with people, why would you squander that? Why would you start over with something else that might not connect?”

James Cameron at the 51st annual Saturn Awards in Los Angeles.Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty

“And there are more stories to tell,” addedAvatarproducer Jon Landau, 63, to PEOPLE. “I mean, it’s not like we’re trying to come up with stories. He’s got the stories and we took the time to lay it out across all four sequels.”

Meanwhile, Cameron went on to say that if the movies continue being successful — the first two films have become the No. 1 and No. 3 highest-grossing movies of all time — it proves that “people are innately empathetic.”

“They innately want a connection to each other,” he added. “They innately want beauty. And so many science fiction films are dystopian.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Ours is actually dystopian in its message to some extent, but it’s about beauty, it’s about connection, it’s about positive values, and that seems to be working,” Cameron continued. “So what does that tell us about us? And as human beings globally? Because the films are successful in all markets everywhere. And so I think that’s empowering for us.”

WhileAvatarwas released in 2009,Avatar: The Way of Waterhit theaters in 2022 and grossed a whopping 2.3 billion dollars at the box office.

Cameron and Landau have remained fairly tight-lipped about the upcoming sequels, but the director teased of the franchise in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterlast year, “We decided we needed to leap way ahead to places that people couldn’t have predicted [forThe Way of Water] and we’re gonna do that again with movie3as well.”

source: people.com