Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron wants to open the door to a whole new dimension of the Avatar universe. One that stretches far beyond the breathtaking visuals and epic storytelling of the blockbuster films. While fans eagerly await the next installment in the five-movie saga, Cameron is already envisioning fresh ways to explore Pandora’s mysteries through animation.
In a new interview with Empire Magazine, Cameron reveals that he has talked to Disney about his plans to create an animated anthology series set in the Avatar world. But instead of just retelling what the movies already cover, he plans to explore unexpected, fresh stories within that world. He tells Empire that the potential series could dive into untold backstories of characters and explore the off-screen events that occurred within the films but were not shown on screen.
Cameron also mentions that the series might even include an animated movie, either released in theaters or on a streaming platform. He then goes on to compare his grand idea to The Animatrix, a 2003 animated anthology that expanded The Matrix story by showing backstories and side tales, providing deeper insight into the film universe. He believes this kind of approach would work for his animated anthology series and could add more depth and intricate detail to Avatar’s world.
“I said, ‘Look, I want to do an animated anthology series that's essentially in the world, but stories that you wouldn't have expected from that world.' There might even be an animated feature in there – it might be a feature for streaming, or a theatrical feature."
When it comes to where his plans are currently, Cameron explains to Empire that they’re still in the early stages. He shares that he and his creative team are still gathering stories, developing concepts, and searching for the right filmmakers and animators to help bring this ambitious animated project to life. However, it looks like once the pieces come together, the animated Avatar series could actually become a reality and move forward into production.
"We haven't done much with that yet. We're still gathering our stories and that sort of thing, and I've got to find the boutique filmmakers, the animators, that want to do it."
Avatar: Fire and Ash is the latest addition to the Avatar film series, and serves as the third movie. It is a sequel to Avatar: The Way of Water, and picks up a year later, as Jake Sully and Neytiri continue to live among the Metkayina Clan.
Still grieving the loss of their eldest son, Neteyam, the family finds themselves drawn into a new conflict when they come across the Ash People. Led by the formidable and fiery Varang, the Ash People have formed an alliance with Jake’s longtime enemy, Quaritch. This new film is set to be released in theaters on Dec. 19, 2025. A fourth and fifth film are already confirmed and will be released in the future.
Stay tuned to WiC for more news and coverage on the Avatar franchise!
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