Forget Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron already excited for Avatar 4

The long-awaited sequel to James Cameron’s Avatar is nearly here, and the legendary director has been doling out teases left and right, in addition to throwing shade at Marvel and talking up his vegan pea protein farm. The guy should do press more often, he has a lot to say.

Now, speaking with Collider, Cameron is looking far into the future; not at The Way of Water or even Avatar 3 after that, but Avatar 4. (A fifth movie is also planned.)

James Cameron discusses filming Avatar 2, 3 and 4 concurrently

Before filming Avatar: The Way of Water, Cameron wrote screen treatments for the third and fourth movies as well. “My model was what Peter Jackson did with The Lord of the Rings, which was a crazy bet in its time. And really hats off to that, that they took that chance to launch on all three of those films,” Cameron said.

"But he had the books mapped out, so he could always show the actors what they needed to know about their character arc. So I felt I had to do the same thing. I had to play this as if the books already existed. So the only way for us to do that was to write all the scripts and let the actors read all the scripts and see where their characters were going and what it all meant. Not that that’s actable in the moment, but I think it’s something that the actors could work into their preparation for their characters."

Cameron and his team have aready filmed Avatar 3 in its entirety, as well as the first act of Avatar 4. Allowing the actors to see scripts for the third and fourth films was not just useful, but essential since they were being shot at the same time as Avatar 2.

"So [the actors] knew, ‘Okay, we’re going to come in and film this in bite-size chunks, not necessarily in sequence. We’re going to be shooting parts of 2, parts of 3, parts of 4 on any given day.’ That’s a challenge, but it’s no different a challenge than, let’s say, if you’re working on a limited series, and you’ve got a home set that’s going to be seen across six hours. It’s no different. I’m not saying there’s anything unique about this, but I felt that it was the right way to approach it with the actors. And also to let them see where it’s all going, so they’re properly motivated and enthused. Because the story’s a corker. By the time we get down to 4 and 5, if we’re so lucky, knock wood, to get that far, which is obviously driven by market forces, we have to be successful."

20th Century’s only note for Avatar 4: “Holy f*ck”

That brings us to Avatar 4. While Avatar 3 has been fully filmed and is tentatively set to hit theaters on December 23, 2024, Avatar 4 still has miles to go. Cameron reflected on the process of honing the scripts for all three of the sequels, and what sort of notes he got from 20th Century for each one. For Avatar 4, the studio was apparently so impressed by the treatment that the only comment was, “Holy f**k.”

"I can’t tell you the details, but all I can say is that when I turned in the script for 2, the studio gave me three pages of notes. And when I turned in the script for 3, they gave me a page of notes, so I was getting better. When I turned in the script for 4, the studio executive, creative executive over the films wrote me an email that said, ‘Holy fuck.’ And I said, ‘Well, where are the notes?’ And she said, ‘Those are the notes.’ Because it kind of goes nuts in a good way, right?"

Obviously Cameron is keeping the details close to his chest; Avatar 2 isn’t even out yet, after all. But he’s clearly excited about Avatar 4 in particular. “You think you know what it’s about, and then, oh no, you don’t. I hope I get to make that film, is what I’m saying.”

Avatar: The Way of Water splashes into theaters on December 16.

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h/t The A.V. Club