Washington [US], May 17 : Filmmaker James Cameron has shared a fresh update on the future of the blockbuster 'Avatar' franchise, revealing that the next two planned films are still in development as he explores ways to reduce production time and costs.
According to Deadline, the three-time Oscar winner in a recent interview said that the upcoming installments, 'Avatar 4' and 'Avatar 5', remain part of his long-term plans following 'Avatar: Fire and Ash.'
"After that, I'm like Roadrunner going off a cliff," Cameron said while discussing his schedule after Billie Eilish 'Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)', adding, "I'll be doing some writing, I've got a number of projects I'm cooking. And Avatar 4 and 5 are still floating out there."
Cameron also revealed that he is aiming to make the future 'Avatar' films more efficient to produce.
According to the director, the scale and technology behind the franchise have made the films both time-consuming and extremely expensive.
"We're gonna be looking at some new technologies to try and do them more efficiently, because they're hideously expensive and take a long time," he said, adding, "I want to do them in half the time for two thirds of the cost, that's my metric."
The director added that developing this new production approach could take time. "And so, it's going to take us a year or so to figure out how to do that. And in the meantime, I'll be writing and probably be doing a couple of other things," Cameron said, as quoted by Deadline.
The filmmaker has previously spoken about the uncertainty surrounding the continuation of the franchise beyond the currently planned films. He earlier stated that he would "hold a press conference" if he decided not to continue making 'Avatar' movies.
"I don't know if the saga goes beyond this point. I hope it does. But, you know, we prove that business case every time we go out," he had said.
Cameron also expressed interest in novelising the 'Avatar' films despite acknowledging the challenges in today's market.
"Despite there being 'no business model for it anymore,'" he said he would still like to create novels based on the films because "it might be good to have the canonical record of what it was all supposed to be."
The filmmaker had earlier confirmed that some scenes for 'Avatar 4' have already been shot. However, he reiterated that the future of additional films will depend on commercial viability.
"I always say 'if,' but will it be profitable enough, and only we will know that," Cameron previously said in an interview with Deadline.
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