Director James Cameron has always had big visions and big dreams for the Avatar movies, and it seems like he’s full speed ahead. There was an over 10-year gap between the first second films in the franchise, but the third film, Fire and Ash, came only two years after the sequel, Way of Water. While nothing has officially been announced, there has been movement on the fourth and film installments. Franchise star Sam Worthington recently revealed he'd already seen the scripts for those two films, and his comments are making me excited.
Worthington has been promoting his miniseries, I Will Find You, as of late, and he was recently asked what he is most excited about for the next Avatar movies. The actor -- who plays Jake Sully in the franchise -- didn't get into specifics about the fourth and fifth movies, which are tentatively dated for n2029 and 2031. Still, Worthington did share enthusiastic thoughts about having seen the screenplays He said CBS Mornings (as shared on Instagram):
I’ve read ‘em. I’m really lucky. I’ve read four and five, and four is my favorite, so hopefully we can keep doing it. It completely changes the whole dynamic and the whole world.
It's great to hear that Worthington is apparently pleased with what he's seen. That should serve as a glimmer of hope for fans like myself in regard to what Cameron and co. want for the future of this franchise. I'm most excited that the fourth film is Worthington's favorite, because Fire and Ash ends in a place where there's some closure to the story. However, should it continue, there are great opportunities for the story to go in some fresh directions. Still, I may have to temper my hype for the moment.
The reason Worthington says he hopes they can keep doing the films is because the Avatar movies are famously some of the most expensive movies ever made. While the first two Avatar films became two of the highest grossing movies of all time, Avatar: Fire and Ash didn’t reach the same heights despite making over a billion dollars. The production budgets are incredibly high, and making the movies the way Cameron wants is seemingly just becoming more expensive.
On that note, Cameron has been candid about wanting to finish out the series, though he wants to do so in a way that's affordable. From a creative standpoint, Cameron is ready to make those other two movies, which he explained to CinemaBlend months ago. I'd imagine that if any filmmaker could solve a cost problem it would be someone is skilled as Cameron. Additionally, Cameron has also been thinking about story changes he wants to make for a fourth installment.
It could be a while until we finally get to see Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 on the big screen but, for right now, I'm just hoping they actually happen. It'd truly be a shame if Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña and co. didn't get to finish out the Sully family's story in the world of Pandora. For now, fans can revisit the first three Avatar films with a Disney+ subscription.
