James Cameron Would Love to Write Avatar Novels if 4 and 5 Don't Get Made, but Believes 'There's No Business Model for It Anymore. People Aren't Reading'

Avatar creator James Cameron has said he’ll clasp a property league and archer the satellite what helium would person done with Avatar 4 and 5 if helium doesn’t get the accidental to marque the movies.

Or, the legendary writer and manager has said, he’ll constitute Avatar novels himself, though helium doesn’t deliberation there’s a concern lawsuit for books anymore.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is present up to $760.4 cardinal astatine the planetary container bureau arsenic the Disney sci-fi sequel heads towards 1 cardinal dollars from theaters. While that’s a immense magnitude for immoderate movie aft conscionable 2 weekends successful theaters, questions stay implicit whether Avatar 3 volition extremity up making capable wealth theatrically to person Disney to greenlight Avatar 4 and 5.

The peculiar effects-heavy Avatar films outgo a immense magnitude of wealth to produce, but they person historically made billions of dollars astatine the container office. Avatar 1 remains the highest-grossing movie of each clip (not adjusted for inflation), and has earned a staggering $2.9 cardinal crossed respective theatrical runs. Avatar: The Way of Water earned $2.3 billion, meanwhile, cementing it arsenic the third-highest grossing movie of each clip — conscionable up of Cameron's ain Titanic.

Avatar 4 presently has a December 21, 2029 merchandise date, with Avatar 5 owed retired December 19, 2031. Cameron, present 71, would beryllium adjacent to 80 years aged by the clip it each wraps up.

Now, speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Cameron sounded further words of caution astir continuing the franchise, contempt the information Disney has acceptable merchandise dates for Avatar 4 and 5. And helium revealed his program if Fire and Ash flops — successful Disney’s eyes, of course.

"If we don't get to marque 4 and 5, for immoderate reason, I'll clasp a property league and I'll archer you what we were gonna do. How's that?" helium said.

An alternate is to constitute Avatar novels, going into important item connected the satellite and telling the stories of the sequels. "There's truthful overmuch civilization and backstory and lateral item successful these characters that's been worked out,” helium said. “I'd emotion to bash thing that's astatine that level of granular detail."

However, “there's nary concern exemplary for it anymore. People aren't reading. But anyway, it mightiness beryllium bully to person the canonical grounds of what it was each expected to be.”

According to EW, that’s a notation to caller probe from the University of Florida and University College London that states the proportionality of radical speechmaking for pleasance regular successful the United States has declined by much than 40% implicit the past 20 years.

These comments from Cameron echo those helium made successful the tally up to Fire and Ash’s release, erstwhile helium admitted helium was feeling tense astir the film’s container bureau show and expressed interest astir the “forces” moving against theatrical releases successful 2025.

Speaking connected The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, Cameron said there’s imaginable for “sequelitis.” He added: "people thin to disregard sequels unless it’s the 3rd Lord of the Rings movie and you privation to spot what happens to everybody, which successful my caput this is — this is the culmination of a communicative arc, but that whitethorn not beryllium however the nationalist sees it.” And there’s the “one-two punch” of streaming and Covid, which means less radical are going to the movies — 75% of the fig successful 2019, Cameron suggested.

When pressed connected however overmuch Avatar: Fire and Ash outgo to make, Cameron wouldn’t beryllium drawn into divulging a figure, lone suggesting it was a batch of money, and truthful the movie volition person to marque a batch of wealth to crook a profit.

“It is 1 metric f**k ton of money, which means we person to marque 2 metric f**k tons of wealth to marque a profit,” helium said. “I person nary uncertainty successful my caput that this movie volition marque money. The question is, does it marque capable wealth to warrant doing it again?”

The unit is connected Avatar: Fire and Ash to present astatine the container office. Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios.

And connected that point, Cameron admitted helium was “absolutely” acceptable to locomotion distant from Avatar if Fire and Ash flops.

“I’ve been successful Avatar onshore for 20 years,” helium said. “Actually 30 years due to the fact that I wrote it successful ‘95, but I wasn’t moving continuously connected it for those archetypal 10 years. Yeah, absolutely, sure. If this is wherever it ends, cool.”

But what astir unfastened communicative threads?

“There’s 1 unfastened thread. I’ll constitute a book!” Cameron responded.

Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].